Posted on 02/12/2015 5:51:48 PM PST by Libloather
WASHINGTON — The military’s Tricare health insurance is a broken system that is now in a “death spiral” and must be replaced, a congressional review commission told the House on Wednesday.
The insurance has been veering toward less choice and access since it was created and now falls far behind other networks in its number of providers and ability to incorporate new types of medical care, members of the Military Retirement and Compensation Modernization Commission testified before an Armed Services subcommittee.
The testimony is the beginning of hearings on Capitol Hill so lawmakers can consider legislation to overhaul the health coverage, troop retirement system and other compensation that the Pentagon says is growing too expensive to sustain. The Senate has also planned a series of subcommittee hearings to weigh a number of the commission recommendations, including a complete restructuring of 20-year military retirement system.
(Excerpt) Read more at stripes.com ...
How convenient. Just when Obammie is doing selfies to urge America to sign up to his failing signature legacy legislation, Tricare is there to bump the Obamcare numbers.
Soon we will all be on Medicaid.
Life is so much simpler when you no longer have any choices to make.
winnah winnah chicken dinnah!
The GS workers resent the hell out of the mil retirees. They will argue that it is “unfair” to have working age mil retirees on Tricare. Remind me again of how many IEDs there have been on I-395? I guess I missed the part where it is “fair” illegals get free care w/o lifting a finger. This comission bought into the lie that Defense is just another gubmint program competing for resources with welfare vice job #1.
In short, they can kiss my a$$
and much slower, if you can fathom that...
“So, all in all and all things considered, I can’t really complain. “
Your “complaints” will start when the systems go bust. But unless you are young, you are quite likely to escape the collapse. But think what’s been left to your children and their children. I actually consider myself lucky to have lived when I have, because I think I’ve seen the best of America. With all the “immigration,” it cannot remain the country in which I lived and prospered. The “huddled masses” are poised to destroy it.
Tri Care Pays Physicians and Hospitals less than Medicare.
I’ve had trouble finding docs that take it & I’d say that is a big part of the reason why. When you add the slowness to the low reimbursement rate, who would want to accept it?
“new types of medical care”, you mean like sex changes?
I think I must be extraordinarily lucky. I have Tricare Standard which is bumped to Select. Every medical facility accepts it here.
That’s great Ozaukeemom! We have a lot of retirees here & I think clinics are just tired of waiting for their money.
When OBAMACARE was first being discussed, (before it passed), I said that DOD wanted it because that would give them a chance to dump Tricare beneficiaries onto the private sector and keep the money for weapons instead.
The problems that will ensue if they do this is active duty family members will be forced to travel to see doctors and come up with the high deductibles and co-pays. Add to that the frequent transfers to another state with the need to apply again for insurance on the state exchange, (or Federal Exchange for that state), and you will see many cases of lapsed coverage and financial strain caused by that.
Finally, how do they handle dependents overseas? Especialy where there is no military hospital. Currently Tricare Global remote Overseas,(Prime ), contracts with local providers and hospitals for care for active duty and family members and Tricare pays the bill.
Then you have the issue of Tricare Standard overseas for retirees and their dependents. We would be left without any medical insurance, (which we earned and which was promised to us). US insurance companies won’t/can’t provide the coverage overseas because of all the rules of the different countries involved. Will DOD provide us with a “premium” in order to purchase local health insurance? Most overseas health inshurance companies have a 60-65 age limit for insurability.
As much as I dislike Tricare Standard overseas, (which in most cases requires us to file claims at the level required by US insurance companies and which locals doctors and hospital are unable to document at that level), at least we are getting better at “perfecting” our claims to the US standards, albeit with a lot of research on the internet to get the correct medical terminology and details required. Losing Tricare would leave us in limbo and the US Government would be breaking the promise of this benefit that we earned.
Wouldn't this pending disaster apply equally to the monstrous retirement and health system for elected officials, written by the bureaucracy itself for the exclusive benefit of themselves?
Unsustainable doesn't begin to describe it!
My father retired from the Marine Corps when I was five years old. We didn’t have “medical insurance” we went to a military installation, drove to the hospital and were treated, for everything from allergies to cancer, free of charge.
Retired now and hoping things don't fall completely apart before I and my wife do.
Another made up crisis to cheat the veterans and get money out of them rather than cutting money for the undeserving.
I could have written the same things myself, you and I appear to feel the same about Tricare. For me, its actually working therefore it must be scrapped.
We are Tricare Life, last March 2014 we were DOD MANDATED where we could fill our daily scripts.
Express Scripts a known Fraud company with bad service, just shoves your meds into your mail box. NO ID SIGN FOR. No matter the cost or how dangerous the drug. ES over rides DAW scripts if there is a generic. It takes about a month to get the first script filled and 2 weeks for a refill.
NEVER LET THEM TAKE PAYMENTS OUT OF YOUR BANK ACCOUNT!
Or use Military Base. Which is NOT handicapped friendly. The Base will fill within 24 hrs, and refills come out of Pensacola with in a week.
Hope you are not in a hurry for your meds.
And the bottles are always way to large for the pills. If you take many as most seniors do, you need a graph to keep track of them.
Local Neurosurgeon turned down Medicare/Tricare Life government run ins. We are seeing more signs up in doctors offices stating NO NEW MEDICARE PATIENTS, thus no new TRICARE LIFE patients.
Yet the DOD has money to burn on $7K speed bumps in the Commissary and Exchange 5mph parking lots. And putting up monuments. And just why are they remodeling our Exchange when the only thing wrong was a roof leak in 1 section?
To expensive for the average GI to use to boot. $200 for a Vera wallet. Over $300 for a Coach purse.
Thread winner!
I just started with ES about 6 months ago. It was a choice. I just got my newest scrip within 6 days, including last weekend. I did not know they are a fraud company. It is just easier for me to get my meds delivered rather than going to Wally World. Haven’t had to pay for any yet.
Sounds like I must be an exception for being happy with Tricare.
Google them and read about the fraud and the customer complaints. Do NOT let them have access to your bank account for auto payment. They even override DAW written script.
I take name brand Synthroid, ES will send the generic. Difference in cost $6-8 depending on strength. I had to fight for a year to get them to pay for the name brand with my co-pay.
Don’t know what plan you are on but we are TRICARE LIFE Ret Military over 65. And ES collects a cop-pay. I hate that they just shove our meds into the mailbox regardless of weather with out being ID signed for. We have a lot of kids in the neighborhood..kids and dangerous pills don’t mix well. US Rep Steven Fincher said it would take an act of congress to change the mail process of NO ID sign for.
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