House Conservatives Cut $500M Off Vet Bill (small victory)

"I wonder if Marines are still living in the same squad bay I lived in at Camp Margarita in 1959? If they are, it just might be time to upgrade their quarters."

Don't know...but this bringing home the bacon earmarking has to stop. Obviously the brass at MCHQ didn't feel it was a high enough priority to bump other requirements and make it into the budget. I'll defer to the requirements people instead of a pork sucking politician inserting requirements that never made it through the chop chain.

The White House, while expressing support for the legislation, issued a statement questioning some of its components. It criticized the use of war reserve funds for military construction projects, and urged Congress to eliminate the 66 earmarks that the administration had not requested.

It also opposed cuts in spending to carry out the 2005 base closing act, and urged Congress to consider administration proposals to increase copayments and enrollment fees for higher-income non-disabled veterans and for military retirees under 65 using Tricare.

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Military retirees are about to get screwed at the request of President Bush. I'm very disappointed in Bush.

Danette - fret not, this is such a small issue in the big scheme of things. As a retiree, I have the highest tier of medical insurance offered. I currently pay $480 a year for full coverage for my family of four. So long as we use our primary care provider (for non emergencies) first, there are no co-pays or deductibles. In an emergency we can go anywhere. Furthermore, almost any prescription imaginable is available - also free by mail or at a military pharmacy. In the off chance a script has to be filled in a civilian pharmacy - there is a $5 charge. The fact is that insurance premiums for retirees has fallen significantly behind costs. Too many dollars are being spent on health care and not enough dollars are being spent on bullets and tanks. I will gladly pay $960 a year for my medical insurance, which is the proposal - and still a huge bargain. I would, however, like to see vets with combat related disabilities, or maybe Purple Heart recipients, receive the coverage for free.

I appreciated the back to back 8 percent payraises the active duty received back in 02 & 03. When was the last TRICARE rate hike? I'm not for doubling the fees, but a rate increase may be reasonable.

I hope the same rate increases will effect the non disabled veterans who managed to get into the VA when Clinton opened it up to them. Currently they get the almost same deal as a retiree.

Under the proposal, Tricare Prime for under-65 retirees would increase to $750 / $1,500 for officers and $450 / $900 for enlisted by 2008 from the current fee of $230 (individual) / $460 (family).

The proposal would establish a Tricare Standard enrollment fee of $300 / $600 for officers and $200 / $400 for enlisted by 2008. There is no enrollment fee for Tricare Standard at the present time. The proposal also recommends an increase in the Tricare Standard annual deductible to $300 / $600 for officers and $200 / $400 for enlisted by 2008 from $150 / $300 for all.

Proposed co-payments for the TRICARE Retail pharmacy program would increase to $5 (Tier I), $15 (Tier II) and $22 (Tier III) from $3 (Tier 1), $9 (Tier II) and $22 (Tier III) by 2008.

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It' looks like an EXTRA $900 a year for my family for health care. A new "enrollment fee" and higher deductible. And don't forget the pharmacy co-pay increases to boot.

It sucks and I'm blaming Bush and the Republicans.

With THIS and the ILLEGAL immigration issue, I'm no longer loyal and will vote 3rd party.

I remember very clearly, President Bush’s remarks before the American People on national TV, “Promises made, will be promises kept”, during his campaign for President. After winning the election, promises were just promises “made”. The exact campaigning procedure that “all” politicians use to abuse the “Veteran”.

What we see and hear disturbs us, because it is clear to veterans that if congressional leadership cannot arrange priorities within a $2.6 trillion budget to meet the benefits veterans earned and richly deserve something are wrong with the priorities being chosen.

In reading last year’s appropriations, I see that there is enough money to spend on Ground Hog Day, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and more than 13,000 lesser priority, non-veteran pet projects. While individually each of these earmarks may account for a small fraction of federal spending, the total cost to taxpayers for these projects in fiscal year 2005 is $27.3 billion.

Incredibly, there is more. Congress last year approved a four-year $1 billion program to pay the medical-care costs of treating illegal immigrants. What signal is being sent, when budget priorities allow health care for illegal immigrants to trump care for veterans?

The priority given health care for illegal immigrants is a stark reminder that this budget proposal is bad news for the nation’s veterans, especially when our courageous troops are engaged in battle overseas.

Our most revered Founding Father George Washington gave an eloquent warning, saying, “The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation.”

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