For every ****ty story there is a good one, so it's always hard to judge. Plus, those who get the dud experience always complain the loudest.

My buddy crushed 4 of his vertebrae while in Iraq, they not only paid 100% for a back surgery that would have broken him otherwise, but he got a medical/honorable discharge after 10 years in and topped him another 50 percent of his pay grade in retirement money since he was hurt while on duty. He was gonna stay in, but they said there was too much liability involved which I kinda chuckled at since you are fighting a WAR. ha.

Hard to complain about that scenario.

My stepbrother who has 7 kids (don't ask, also all girls!) and was in the Corps for 12 years gets great care (in his opinion) for the whole family for a fraction of what I pay for myself, my wife and our 1 daughter. I could make a really nice car payment for what I pay in insurance, if not approaching a small house payment.

Also, decent insurance that is 100% coverage like you get when enlisted is a good clip more expensive than what most Americans can pay for the whole family, which defeats the whole purpose when you wind up with a 200,000.00 bill that gets only 60-80 percent paid. You're still gonna be broke for a LONG time.

That being said, Marlin, I'd say you may be too late for stitches, but make sure once it scabs you keep something on it during the day, especially with all the hands on stuff you do. My best friend nicked himself on the chain of a transfer machine and he did the same thing. wound up losing the tip of his finger from infection.

It's funny though, in my head, that cut is placed perfect so that you could get some extra bend out of your finger ;-) assuming there was no bone there. HeHe.

I do the same crap, I'll weld, build, cut whatever and wind up ripping a fingernail off changing a O2 sensor or some crap. Ugh.

Also, not sure where you guys live, but at any busy hospital sitting 13 hours waiting for some service isn't a far stretch no matter where you are in the spectrum. If it ain't obviously life-threatening or giving birth, then you are LAST in their line.