Posted on 07/25/2011 9:02:12 AM PDT by markomalley
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) wants to cut taxpayer funding for non-military elements of the Defense Department, starting with making retired, uninjured service members pay more for what he described as “extremely low-cost health care for life” for themselves, their spouses and dependents under the Tricare Prime system.
For military retirees eligible for Medicare, he also wants to raise the co-payments that they are charged to be in Tricare for life, the second payer for health care after Medicare. In addition, he wants to increase low fees that Tricare beneficiaries pay for pharmaceuticals purchased at their local drugstores.
Former defense secretary Robert M. Gates proposed raising Tricare Prime enrollment fees for single retirees from $230 a year to $260 a year and fees for retiree families from $460 a year to $520 a year. Coburn wants the fees to be much higher and more in line with private-sector health plans.
Part of his concern is fairness, first for uninjured veterans who, for example, served in Iraq and/or Afghanistan but “leave the military without serving 20 years [and] are not entitled to any of these health-care benefits.” They represent some 70 percent of those serving, according to Pentagon officials.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Disclosure: I am a military retiree who uses Tricare...so this impacts me directly.
Here is the full report if you'd like to read it for yourselves (621 pp).
As a retiree, I don't really see the issue here. I could, if I chose, get the same health care package other employees at my work receive...but I choose not to, because Tricare is far more lucrative.
The increased prescription prices will suck for me, but that's not that huge an issue.
As for Tricare Prime? From my perspective, that's a major yawn. I would have to travel much farther to go to the nearest military facility than to my own doctor...the only area I would disagree with is for retirees who reside abroad (at least when I was still in, you would have a hard time seeing a doctor overseas if you were not in Prime)
A good part of the reason I stayed in for the entire stretch was because of the retirement package...without it, I probably would have gotten out at the beginning of the dot-com boom (I sure as hell didn't stay in for the generous salary I was paid). And for those who would criticize retirees for sucking off the government teat, I will point out to anybody that we earned it.
Having said that, I don't think that anybody has a right to bitch because his sacred cow is being told to go on a diet.
The only other thing I can say is: I'm willing to suck it up. Can't speak for any other retiree, but you've got to do what you've got to do. However, the friggin bums who did not do a dang thing to earn their checks better be slashed as well.
Makes sense....
I am jealous. We pay more than 5K a year for our federal health insurance. That doesn’t include all the deductibles and co-pays.
Thanks for your service and your willingness to personally sacrifice to get your country out of the financial hole.
Unfortunately, Democrats and RINO’s will attempt to rally your fellow veterans to make no change in veteran’s benefits for one cynical reason: to get their votes in the 2012 election.
When I was in the military we were supposed to have free healthcare for life. That was one of the few good things about giving your life to the military service. Toward the end of our service, Tricare was forced on us and the deal was broken with free healthcare for life. Now congress wants to take part of that away too. We can’t keep treating our military like this...it’s not right.
Unfortunately, you are probably right.
Like I said above, I am willing to do what I have to do...provided that I'm not the only one.
agreed!
considering Coburn’s plan is one of the BEST,
(in some ways better than CCB! it cuts 9 TRILLION !),
this seems rather mild:
“from $230 a year to $260 a year and fees for retiree families from $460 a year to $520 a year.”
for more about his plan:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2753226/posts
“This week, Senator Tom Coburn released a 600-page plan that would reduce the deficit by $9 trillion over the next ten years by slashing wasteful spending and eliminating an estimated $1 trillion in tax deductions.
The plan is not a gimmick, it’s not smoke and mirrors, and it’s not a media stunt. “
Same deal with me. I wanted to get out in 95 but the wife wouldn’t approve, so I stayed in until 03 for the retirement. I have Tricare prime and agree with your post.
The military health care system is taking care of more people today than it will in the future. The system supports a dwindling number of WWII veterans and their spouses as well as a significant number of vets and dependents of the Korean and Vietnam/Cold War periods when our personnel end-strength was much greater than it is today or will be for the foreseeable future.
It seems to me this particular "problem" is one that will correct itself over the next 20 years....
I’m LTC. USA. retired.
I’m not quite as accomodating as some here on FR. For one thing we served our country. For some that service included death or maiming. For the rest of us, every day we were on Active or Reserve Duty we were subject to being deployed into harm’s way. So I think there is a bit of difference between a military retirement or a private sector/civil service retirement.
If we were in a situation where everything that could have been done to fix our present economic and gov’t spending problems was done, I would consider looking at military retirement. But the fact is, the idiots in Washington have done nothing but continue spending and screw up the economy.
Also, it should be kept in mind that upon becoming eligible for Medicare, TRICARE becomes the secondary insurance. That aside, telling people who lost limbs and/or eyesight in the service of their country they must now pay out of pocket for their situation strikes me as being the ultimate disrespect.
Congress and their staff members first.
I turn 65 in October and had to sign up for Medicare coverage with Tricare as a second payer. My Medicare will cost me and my wife $110 per month apiece....so I get to pay a lot more money for less coverage than I had. If the government wants to save money on Medicare I will volunteer not to participate. The way the law is written now I don't have that choice.
I resent the fact that I am approaching retirement where my income will be reduced and the government is making me spend a larger percentage of it for less medical coverage. Not only that, I will have Medicare or Obamacare "Death Panels" deciding if I deserve a given medical procedure. I've played by the rules (pretty much) all of my life and now they are moving the goal posts.
SKCM(SS), USN Retired
I wonder how much our Public Trough feeders and their staffs pay? Perhaps their medical coverage should be through the VA or at VA Hospitals...without head of the line privileges.
I wonder how much our Public Trough feeders and their staffs pay? Perhaps their medical coverage should be through the VA or at VA Hospitals...without head of the line privileges.
“The only other thing I can say is: I’m willing to suck it up.”
I’m not willing to suck it up unless and until cuts are made in other areas first.
Welfare cheats and illegal aliens, ACORN, gay penis measurement studies - all good places to start.
Tricare will be swallowed by Obamacare in time, so the point is moot anyway.
Not that big a deal IF congress critters (current and ex) have to do the same thing.
“A medical doctor, Coburn told reporters last Monday: “Nobody in the country, as a single person working 20 years for the government, should be able to get health care for $250 a year. Nobody was ever promised that, and nobody should be able to do that.”
Instead, he wants to increase the enrollment fee for single retirees to “approximately $2,000 per year and $3,500 for a family.” At the same time he would limit out-of-pocket expenses at $7,500 for those retirees with families. He thinks these changes could save $11.5 billion a year.”
Not the same as a paltry $30/year increase. Coburn is an a$$hat!
First drop all illegals, all those drug dependent pot heads, convert Politician health care to equal ours, elminate NFS, Humanties, Art, duplicate education programs currently spread through the budget, terminate all future foreign aid to every country who does not support our position, reduce payment to UN, eliminate Peace Corps, America Corps, Earned Income Tax Credit payments. Then I will be glad to accept my share of the cuts.
Almost 50% of tax filers do not pay any income taxes instead get a check from the federal government.
The same thing happened when the previous administration outlawed employer support for Tricare supplement Plans. I worked for a contractor that provided a Tricare supplement because the premium for retired military was FAR, FAR less than the contribution to the HMO. We got the Tricare deductible picked up and the company save a ton of $$ without us on their rolls.
With an enrollment fee of $3500 it may well be less expensive to use employee HC, but that's not really the point is it? We retirees had at least an understanding with the government. I don't have a problem with reasonable fee increases, but increasing by a factor of nearly 10X is criminal!
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