By Douglas Helvie | U.S. Navy Veteran (Ret.)
NEW BERN – In August, 2019, I had bariatric surgery after years of battling with chronic weight issues. For personal history, I stopped drinking alcohol in 1987, when I was 27. I have never used illicit drugs, and I have never smoked. I served in my nation’s military, the United States Navy, from 1977 through 1998. My last ten years was spent as a field corpsman assigned to United States Marine Corps units.
In the military, I worked out on a regular basis. Beyond the minimum required workouts, I ran 6 miles a day, 6 days a week with 50 pounds of sand on my back. I also regularly engaged in calisthenics. Because of this workout regime, I found it relatively easy to maintain my weight within Naval guidelines.
After I retired, some of the jobs I worked were quite strenuous. However, in 2002 I was hired by the Transportation Security Administration and found myself working from around 4:30am to 1:30pm. My sleep suffered, and so did my ability to exercise. I found myself putting on weight. I was medically retired in 2014 due to complex PTSD from combat experiences. Staying at home, I gained even more weight, until I topped the scales at 290 pounds in 2019.
I knew my obesity endangered my health, and I tried to work out at the gym and eat correctly. Nothing worked. I finally realized I needed medical intervention. I looked at what Tricare and Social Security insurances paid for, and realized I was eligible for the gastric surgery called “sleeve reduction” where a portion of the stomach is removed. I underwent that surgery in 2019. The day I had the surgery, I found out I was borderline diabetic.
The surgery was initially very successful. I lost a total of 115 pounds, down to 175. However, as my doctors had warned me, I then regained 50 pounds — up to 225. So in 2024 I went back to my bariatric doctor and nutritionist, and they recommended Wegovy, which is one of the popular and successful GLP-1 drugs now available to treat obesity. Wegovy was a miracle drug for me! It eliminated almost all cravings for unhealthy food items, including sweet tea and carbohydrates.
Using Wegovy, I lost back down to 175. My stomach was flat; my waist was 32 ½. I was able to get off both of my blood pressure medications. I had a lot of energy and stamina, and I felt much younger than my 65 years. My doctors told me I had lost enough weight, that I did not need to lose more, but that Wegovy would be a good choice for me to stay on long term as a maintenance medication.
However, just recently in November, 2025, I went to refill my Wegovy shots, only to be told that the United State Government had decided to no longer pay for this medication for veterans and other people on Tricare for Life health insurance. There was no rational reason given, i.e., nobody was claiming that it didn’t work. The government just did not want to spend money on the veterans who need this.
Tricare for Life is usually used by older veterans when they go on Medicare. The VA does pay for Wegovy, but you have to be obese or have a disease in order to get it. You can’t get it as a maintenance medication to prevent getting obese again. Let’s be clear — this is not a question of “will power.” These drugs work because they turn off the disordered signals between the gut and the brain and stop endless cravings that are otherwise impossible to control.
By helping people to lose weight and maintain it, the drugs prevent diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, vascular disease, and other debilitating conditions – all expensive to treat. Obviously, the government would be better off paying for a drug that prevents the comorbidities of obesity.
Since the sudden discontinuation, I have learned the only way I can get this much needed medicine is to pay out of my own pocket – to the estimated tune of anywhere from $1,000 to -$2,000 per month, which will not only bankrupt me but will literally put this 100 percent disabled veteran in the poor house.
It feels like the government just doesn’t care about helping older veterans maintain a good standard of health — and longevity. I have already spoken with different people, including a Tricare representative and a VA representative, and was told that there was nothing they could do or that I was not yet obese enough. (However, I have now gained 20 pounds in the past six weeks.) I have asked for a meeting with Congressman Greg Murphy, something that has been denied – prompting me to submit my story to this newspaper.
Historically, and not without reason, I have held as responsible the political party holding the power in the House, Senate and Presidency for anything that occurs, which affects my benefits as a veteran. These are the very Republicans I voted for in 2024. I hold them responsible for this medical fiasco. And, as an unaffiliated voter in NC, I will be voting against any Republican in the mid-terms if they don’t get this issue solved for me and for other untold thousands of Tricare For Life. If this issue is not immediately rectified, I will personally work to oust any Republican running for office in the upcoming midterm elections
There is strength in numbers. I urge other veterans who have been similarly affected to call me at 252 570-7111. Not only am I disabled, I am discouraged and disillusioned.
