Military ALert on Medical/Tricare

[Terry]

Ok I wish I had more but I will have it tomorrow but the skinny of it is buried in a appropriation bill is how Tricare's co-payment and enrolment is going up up up! I will find the bill, a friend of mine who told me about it has it all on his work computer and will email me it tomorrow. If any sleuths out there can find it please post it.

 

[Terry]

This is what I found out so far and some links:

The following has been added to the Congressional Budget Office Web Site (www.cbo.gov): a. Budget, Options, Volume 1: Health Care (http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=9925)

For those who have never opened one of these web sites from OMB :

1. double click on the above URL

2. click on PDF

3. click on the binoculars

4. do a search for TFL

5. read what the OMB wonks have in mind to save a few bucks on our backs

The one most of interest to Retired Military is in Article 189. If approved by Congress, the first assault wave would hit the beaches in 2011 and would hit hard. It would initiate cost sharing to require retirees to pay the first $525
of medical cost and 50%of the next $4,725 for a first year cost of $2,888 per person. It would be indexed to increase with inflation. A reason given for this action (for PR effect) is "overuse" by Retirees.

Now if I'm reading right and I'm not fully awake two sen. introduced a bill to stop it.

HR 816, The Military Retirees' Healthcare Protection Act to Freeze TRICARE Fees.

Rep. Chet Edwards (D-TX) and Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) have introduced H.R. 816, "The Military Retirees Health Care Protection Act" that would prohibit DoD from increasing TRICARE fees, specifying that the authority to increase TRICARE fees exists only in Congress.

The Defense Department needs to do more to investigate other options to make TRICARE more cost-efficient as an alternative to shifting costs to retiree beneficiaries.

Our nation is at war and imposing higher healthcare costs on retirees sends a powerful negative message not only to retirees, but to those currently serving about the value of their service to the nation. Unlike private sector employees, military retirees have answered the call to serve, and most have done so under extremely difficult circumstances while separated from their families to defend the freedoms we enjoy today.

Start writing your letters vets and visit here: Welcome to USDR*-*USDR - Uniformed Services Disabled Retirees[capwiz:queue_id]