Ok, first of all, I'm assuming that if you are active duty in any branch of the US military, you get at least some sort of health coverage (i.e., you get a cavity in the Army, and an Army dentist can be assigned to fix it for you free of charge, etc.). If I'm wrong on this, please LMK.

My question is, do (non-deployed) members of the National Guard or Reserves from any branch get some sort of medical fringe benefit like active duty personell do? I'm thinking more from a non job-related injury standpoint (sort of like when the company you work for pays for your health insurance). I'm assuming no, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask.

Thanks.

Yep!

Plastic surgery and other stuff can be had for VERY cheap, especially on bases with hospitals and such. Reason being..well, the docs gotta practice on somebody!

Seriously, yes, that's a benifit, if you want to take that route..I grew up next to West Point, and yah, their medical staff was pretty top-notch for a lot of plastic surgery stuff, as well as emergency care.

Quoted: My question is, do (non-deployed) members of the National Guard or Reserves from any branch get some sort of medical fringe benefit like active duty personell do? I'm thinking more from a non job-related injury standpoint (sort of like when the company you work for pays for your health insurance). I'm assuming no, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask. Thanks.

Things may have changed, since I've been out a few years, but at least while I was in, if you were
injured during your weekend drill, or during your two-week AT, the military took care of your medical
expenses. Or if you have to get an annual check-up for the Guard - I had to go up to Ft. Meade one
day to get an exam. Stuff like that.

But if you're not on duty, and you break an arm or leg, you have to pay your own insurance, just like
regular Joe Civilian.

ETA: Evil_Ed evidently knows something that I didn't. Not surprisingly, though, as my unit was less
than up-to-date on letting us know lots of things until well after the fact.....

As a reservist you get medical coverage when you are at (and going to and from) drill, and whenever or orders (annual training, schools, mobilized).  You don't get family coverage until you are on orders for more than 30 continous days.

However if you are self-employed or don't get insurance from you employer you can pay to get into Tricare.

Quoted: ETA: Evil_Ed evidently knows something that I didn't. Not surprisingly, though, as my unit was less than up-to-date on letting us know lots of things until well after the fact.....

Well, don't take my word as gospel on the matter; my dad was in ANGR, my brother was a bubblehead..but, as dad was next to WP, he told me more than once that people on base who qualified for it, got surgery at stupid cheap prices, including things like chest implants, lasik, etc. Apparently they were comped as training for the surgons and such..

The idea of a newbie doc playing "spot the defect" with the lens of my eye doesn't appeal to me all that much, but for someone who's in dire need of some help...

But, ask someone who's more in the know than I

Like I said, just something I heard.

The National Guard started dental coverage in Nov 05.  It's thru tri care, which my local dentist takes and costs $10/month which comes out of your drill pay, and it's pretty good-better than my civilian job-had a cleaning, drill and fill-one tooth only , my co pay was $40.00.  I've been told that they are starting tri care plans for medical coverage too, but that's in the future.