The Healthcare Fantasy by US Rep Niki Tsongas (D)

Ms. Tsongas talks about how forcing healthy people to buy insurance will lower premiums for everyone. But in Massachusetts, where such a program is in effect, premiums rose faster than any other state.

House votes to exempt TRICARE from health reform bill
http://govcentral.monster.com/news/articles/25743-house-votes-to-exempt-tricare-from-health-reform-bill

TRICARE and Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
http://www.tricare.mil/NHCB_QnA.aspx

Will the new legislation transfer TRICARE into another government health care program?

No. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act leaves TRICARE under sole authority of the Defense Department and the Secretary of Defense, and we are governed by an independent set of statutes. “For the Department of Defense, and specifically for our 9.6 million TRICARE beneficiaries, this law will not affect the TRICARE benefit. Eligibility, covered benefits, copayments and all other features of our TRICARE program remain in place.” – Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) Dr. Charles Rice

What does deeming TRICARE as “qualifying coverage” mean?
It ensures that TRICARE beneficiaries will not be impacted by the new legislation’s requirement that people without qualifying coverage will have to pay a financial penalty.

Is TRICARE For Life considered “qualifying coverage” under the new law?

Yes, TFL is deemed qualifying coverage under the legislation already passed by both the House and Senate.

Can I expect my TRICARE enrollment fee, premiums, deductibles or co-pays to go up because of this legislation?

There is nothing in the legislation that would change any TRICARE fees.

The new health care bill allows adult children to stay on their parent’s health care plan until age 26 if their employers don’t offer insurance. Will TRICARE adopt this policy?

Many beneficiaries with dependent children are very interested on how the Act will impact their children age 26 and younger. Our current age limits – 21, or age 23, if the dependent is in a full-time school program – are set by statute, so separate legislation would be required to change them. If changes are made to the statues governing TRICARE, then, like any other legislative initiative, time will be required for us to implement the changes. Until that time, the benefit remains unaffected by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Tricare Meets Health Care Bill’s Standards, Gates Says
American Forces Press Service ^

WASHINGTON, March 22, 2010 – The Tricare military health plan meets the standards set by the health care reform bill the House of Representatives passed last night, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said in a statement issued yesterday.

Calling their health and well-being his highest priority, Gates reassured servicemembers and their families that the legislation won’t have a negative effect on Tricare, which “already meets the bill’s quality and minimum benefit standards.”

“This was clarified by a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives [March 20], and is expected to be re-affirmed by the Senate,” Gates said in the statement.

“The president and I are committed to seeing that our troops, retirees and their families will continue to receive the best quality health care,” the secretary said.

http://www.defense.gov//News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=58412

‘Can I expect my TRICARE enrollment fee, premiums, deductibles or co-pays to go up because of this legislation? There is nothing in the legislation that would change any TRICARE fees.’

That still doesn’t answer the question of the NEW BIG FEES passed in the 2009 DOD bill, that go into effect in 2011.

Does OBAMANATIONCARE negate the BIG NEW FEES in the DOD bill? Just because there are no new fees in OBAMANATIONCARE doesn’t mean that they aren’t still in the 2009 DOD bill!

Calls to congress critters are needed for clarification.

http://economicspolitics.blogspot.com/2009/05/tricare-for-life-is-obama-trying-to.html

This option would help reduce the costs of TFL, as well as costs for Medicare, by introducing minimum out-of pocket requirements for beneficiaries. Under this option, TFL would not cover any of the first $525 of an enrollee’s cost-sharing liabilities for calendar year 2011 and would limit coverage to 50 percent of the next $4,725 in Medicare cost sharing that the beneficiary incurred. (Because all further cost sharing would be covered by TFL, enrollees could not pay more than $2,888 in cost sharing in that year.) http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9925/12-18-HealthOptions.pdf

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