[ops33]

I think what he is referring to is TRICARE, not VA healthcare. TRICARE is the medical program operated by the DOD, somewhat similar to an HMO, that provides care for military retirees and active duty dependants. DOD absolutly hates having to pay for the healthcare for retirees and would love to palm it off on the VA. TRICARE rates are set by Congress, not the DOD. A few weeks ago, the Chief of Naval Operations, Commandant of the Marine Corps, and head of the Coast Guard, all testified before Congress on cost of health care that the DOD must pay for retirees. All argued that the rates must be increased. The CNO, who is shortly to retire, stated that his annual premium for TRICARE Prime, the program most like an HMO, for both him and his wife, is $485.00. Granted, compared to other programs, that seems very reasonable. But the average retiree is not a 4-star admiral with no children. The average retiree is an E-6, with 2-3 dependant children, entering the job market in his/her early 40’s. Their retirement pay is not as much as many would think plus they are frequently starting out again at the bottom of the employment chain. Many need the reduced cost of health care just to make ends meet. Hopefully, we have some strong support in Congress to ensure that the military retirees don’t get screwed over in this overall government budget debate.

[MSF BU]

If you think TRICARE is expensive now, wait until we start dealing with the HIV related problems of the homosexual ‘partners’ that will flood into the service, if/when DADT goes.

[exbrit]

I remember when military dependents got healthcare from military installations, but, due to rising costs and long wait times, coupled with government wanting to save $$, we were changed to tricare standard and prime and now get our services from the civilian sector. If the government can’t handle dependent’s healthcare how in the world do they think they can handle national healthcare?

[silverleaf]

If the CNO failed to mention he will be required to enroll in MEDICARE at age 65 and pay premiums based on his income, then he is liar or a fool or both.

As retirees far below his rank who are newly now in MEDICARE, our premiums are a couple thousand a year for part B plus there are till deductibles and costs of prescriptions.

Even when in TRICARE we paid thousands a year out of pocket. One year one kid needed medical tests that cost us $1300 alone, “not covered”.

Of course this was “free medical care for life” that enticed us to stay for 29 years

PS: That CNO will never be turned away ftom MTF due to lack of space like the peons, and his wife will probabnly still use his reserved parking space too

[ExNewsExSpook]

Your points are well-taken, and the health care writing is on the wall, as far as DOD is concerned. But first a history lesson: when I joined the military back in 1981, I was promised lifetime care at armed forces hospitals and treatment facilities, with little/no out-of-pocket expenses. In exchange, I had to remain in the military for at least 20 years, serve honorably, and participate (as required) in any conflict, deployment or contingency operation that might arise.

In the mid-90s, DoD saw a chance to save money. Bill Clinton and his administration were grossly under-funding military health care, so someone in the Pentagon had the bright idea to create TRICARE, which would become the primary treatment option for retirees and their spouses, along with some dependents of active duty personnel. We were promised better treatment options and nominal costs, like that $485 annual premium the CNO recently cited.

But TRICARE savings proved illusory, for the government and the patient. Many participants discovered that providers would not take TRICARE PRIME (the “Cadillac” option), so they were stuck with TRICARE Standard, which carries average co-pays of 20%. That may not seem like much to a retired flag officer, but (as you observe), the typical military retiree is an E-6 with a monthly pension, before taxes, of roughly $1,800. Meanwhile, DoD has also experienced the runaway costs associated with other health care plans, so TRICARE is now (roughly) 10% of the defense budget.

You can guess what will happen next. As soon as those “health care exchanges” start up, TRICARE will be shelved and retirees will be given a “voucher” to get their own coverage. And when that doesn’t work, retirees will be among the first to join the single-payer plan.

Oddly enough, DoD could actually save money by expanding their own health care network. As a former AF surgeon general pointed out several years ago, a military hospital or clinic can perform an appendectomy for $300; sending a soldier, dependent or retiree off-base for the same operation costs $6,000.

But that won’t happen; it would require retention of too many doctors, nurses, administrators and medics. And that will affect the next step in the Obama defense plan: massive force cuts once the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan come to an end. We cut over 30,000 airmen from our ranks during the past decade. That’s just a hint of what’s to come under The Annointed One.

[ASOC]

An E6 bailing at 20 gets (about) $1742 and some change.

Or about $10 / hr before taxes.

Less than he or she would collect on welfare.

So ya, people are clearly in it for the money

/S as if it’s needed.

[Prince of Space]

My dad was also a master sgt. in the USAF. You're right about the starting over scenario. When he got out in 1964, he had 3 kids and became the low man on the totem pole working for the county. He never talked about it with us kids but it must have been difficult. Thank God for Champus and his retirement pay, or it would have been a whole lot worse.

Mrs. Prince of Space