I always wondered what I would do if I were in a situation where my medical bills became so large that I would have to spend the rest of my life paying them off...it seems so awful and I know "unfair" isn't the right word but when you're facing something so stressful and sad as is, it seems unimaginable to have to worry about how you'll ever pay all that money back too.

It's a point I've made before...Want free health care? Sign up. It's an option.

In my perfect world, this question would be silly. We wouldn't have to worry about paying to cure things like cancer.

This is tough. I don't think I would join (or my future wife let me join) the army and possibly face killing someone else. My fiancee shares the opinion that warfare is messy and destructive and by and large not worth the money they may give you.

I can't say he made the right choice (and I can't say he made the wrong choice). All I know is that he made HIS decision.

Another detail: I'd hate to be away from my ailing wife for that long.

Not for everyone.

My hubs and I are too old to serve and have two children with neurological disorders requiring extra medical care, all of which is minimally covered by our insurance.

I hate being asked "how do you plan to pay?" before I even get to thumb through the out-dated magazines.

Sure, not for everyone, but for most...And it most likely was for you or your husband, a few years back.

But what if you don't believe in war/conflict/fighting? Or if it goes against your religion or whatever? There should be another option.....
But yeah, I didn't think about the cost of research, like bluenutria said...*sigh* It would really suck if something happened to his wife while he was away, and then what would be the point of joining at all?

There are positions that would reduce the odds of deploying. Not everyone in the military will serve on the battle field, and lots that might deploy but not to a combatant position. Heck, MOST will not. My husband can volunteer to serve a tour overseas in the middle east, but his career field does not deploy.

What what a tough decision.

Enlist so that your wife can get payments and possibly live but know that you might be away from her in her last days, go into incredible debt, or let her die and be with her every step of the way.

I hope this story ends well.

Oh I know that, you can be in a lab working on weapons or biological warfare or as a translator decoding classified info. or even as an engineer or stats analyst...I'm just saying, what if you don't support the overall idea of it? Like if you don't want your work contributing to military usage?
Like, I studied aerospace engineering, and would like to work on rockets to the moon, but not necessarily aircraft that might be used to bomb other countries.

Josh hit it right on the head. I hope this turns out well, for everyone's sake.

puredca.com

A fabulous option for this woman who is so sick with chemo she can't even drive to pick up her daughter from a football game.

There are lots and lots of service positions that support the people who do go into combat that have nothing to do with that kind of thing.

But I'll be honest, I think that anyone who's going to protest what makes them safe shouldn't join up for the benefits. So sit tight as a civilian, and get a job elsewhere.

Sheesh. I never said service was for EVERYONE. Just that it's an OPTION. Don't agree? Fine. You're still safe and sound in the US because there are people who DO.

*reaches for a tissue*

What a wonderful husband. Even if you don't agree with the war, the sacrafice he made is extraordinary. I'm with you Josh, I really hope this lady gets better and gets to be the grandma she wants to be. Hopefully in 5 years this will all be past them.

The husband need not enlist in the military to receive medical care for his wife. The cancer diagnosis guarantees qualification for Medicaid. Something's fishy here...

That much too sweeping a statement.
There is no guarantee that Medicaid will cover you and if it does it depends on your states coverage and cooperation of the local medical facilities. They are not under obligation to treat you at Medicaid payments.

Medicaid and Cancer

Medicaid is subject to your state cancer coverage laws and the laws governing clinical trials. Well, what this means is that, if your state covers "off-label" use of cancer drugs and/or clinical trials, you are covered as a Medicaid cancer patient. Generally, the Medicaid program is less problematic in terms of coverage than many other insurance plans. However, some private physicians will not provide chemotherapy in their offices to patients with Medicaid as primary or secondary insurance because of the low payment allowances. In most areas, they are under no obligation to treat Medicaid patients at all.

Half of this country's population receives medical care utilizing programs like Medicaid or Medicare. Isn't it strange that nowhere (absolutely nowhere) in this extremely long detailed article there isn't any mention of any attempts to acquire care in this manner. Instead he joins the armed forces? It doesn't make logical sense.

And no, they are not obligated to accept the lower medicaid reimbursements, but many do, because the practice of medicine is still seen by many who practice it, an altruistic profession.

In one or two years, we're going to be seeing a story about how he was killed in action, aren't we?

There are other options than the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.

Speaking personally, the US Coast Guard is an excellent service. Pick the right specialty and you might never ever leave the United States. Although, joining a sea-going service and not going to sea was a pet peeve of mine. Nevertheless, it is an option.

Or maybe the networks can turn this into another reality series. Would be much better than the "balloon boy".