Retiree prime vs standard
 

While on AD I always felt seeing the flight doc was a pretty good benefit of the rated corps. Other than at my last base JBSA-Randolph; where the flight docs worked for a med group at another base rather than for my flying squadron commander, I felt like this was medicine the way it should be. Call whenever, get seen fairly quickly, usually by the same person you saw last time.

So now I'm a retiree on Prime. Not only am I part of the unwashed masses, but I'm a 2nd class citizen to boot. My doc was over an hour late for my last appointment (and it's always somebody different, have to explain everything from the time the earth cooled to where we are now), and when I had to go to the pharmacy every gumshoe in ABUs that walked within 69 feet bumped me another peg down the ladder. BTW, I asked the disinterested slack jawed 2 striper at the desk what would happen to my appointment if I was an hour late, you can guess how that would've worked for me. The entire process is ridiculous. When my next quarterly prime bill comes I'm going to tell them to stick it where the sun don't shine and just go with standard.

Is my experience the norm or am I just at a crappy location?

As a retiree you are better off being seen off base.

Also take the first appointment in the morning.

I went Standard years ago after getting lectured by a guy in my squadron whose wife had cancer (and subsequently died). He went through the Tri Careless horror stories, and explained that if I didn'tt go Standard, I was a fool. So I did.
Had my family on Standard while on Active Duty and they prefer it.
I am now standard as a retiree.
Why? Flexibility and freedom to choose the best. Especially should something catastrophic occur.

I will stay on Standard

Check in your area.

I'm on Prime, but because the area hospital is overloaded, they give me the option to go off-base.

So, I see the convenient practitioner around the corner, get a referral, and then choose if I go to the mil hospital, or civilian specialist.

I've had a pretty good experience with the mil-hospital (it's a big one), other than trying to make appointments as an airline guy. I have to explain "I can't make an appointment in September until Aug 18, when I find out my schedule."

Of course, by then, all available appointments in September are full.

I am prime and am forced to go on base right now. I struck a compromise with the clinic and they allowed my kids to remain out in town with their civilian provider. They were going to force them back on base because we were re-signing up for tricare when I retired...ridiculous.
I am going through the same things as you: inept providers, appointments two months away, the old clinic double standard (if you are late, you get in trouble, if we are late, it's business as usual). My wife was told the other day that she can't get a referral to see a dermatologist because "she looks fine" in the opinion of the family medicine doctor that she has never seen before and will undoubtedly never see again.
I am now on a quest to make so much noise that I get sent out in town. I launched on my quest yesterday by calling the patient advocate at the clinic.
Tricare prime is a great bargain, especially if you have multiple kids. If it is just your wife and yourself and you are both relatively healthy, I would highly consider standard and maybe medical through your company. It just isn't worth the BS at the military clinic.

Save yourself... and your family... the stress and hassle, and go Standard. You will be very happy you did.

I can't believe people still put their family members on Prime, the small price to pay for standard is totally worth it. I'm amazed at the guys I speak to who have no idea what it is or how it works. Better yet, buy a membership to MOAA or a similar organization and pay a monthly fee for a supplement - ~$20 a month and they cover your deductibles. Great deal.

This has been my experience as well. I live near(ish) Fort Hood and they are crowded so I get to go out in town. My PCMs office has an urgent care clinic attached to it. That allows me to just walk in anytime and I am treated like I made an appointment in Tricares eyes. We have been very happy.

The only hiccup we've had in three years happened last month. My son was vacationing in Slodotna, AK with his uncle and everybody came down with strep throat. Calling Tricare and listening to the clueless mouth breather on the other end try to find a doc on the Kenai peninsula was comical. At first they said there wasn't anything in their system. Not until I googled some docs/clinics and had them look them up by name did we get anywhere. It worked out in the end but it was way harder than it should have been. Other than this no problems. We are very happy with Prime.

Been Standard for over 15 years. Very happy with it, including a catastrophic cap year with my wife. I don't even consider Prime any more.

I love the flexibility of Tricare Standard for my family, and I use a Tricare a supplement through the Military Officers Association at about $100 or so per month to cover other costs (for my family of six). No PCM is definitely worth it - no "approval" required.