Assault on Military Retiree Benefits

[HerbDB]

Well this did not take long. The new administration intends to pay for their big spending at the expense of America's military men and women.
I received this email regarding an OMB proposal to modify the medical benefits for military active duty and retirees. If any of you are military, ex military or just care about our men and women who have dedicated a significant part of their adult lives in service to you and their country, I urge you to contact your senators and congressmen to defeat this measure.

Isn't it amazing that those who never served will jump on the opportunity to default on promises made to induce people into the military.

Please forward this information to your military and ex military friends.

Thanks
Herb (USAF retired)

Subject: TRICARE INFO

The heavy assault has begun on Veterans'/Retirees'
benefits to pay for other programs. The word on the street is that these indeed are a high priority of the Obama administration. The one most of interest to Retired Military is in Article 189. If approved by Congress the first assault wave would hit the beaches in 2011 and would hit hard. It would initiate cost sharing to require retirees to pay the first $525 of medical cost and 50% of the next $4,725 for a first year cost of $2,888 per person. It would be indexed to increase with inflation. A reason given for this action (for PR effect) is "overuse" by Retirees.

This will be a major increase for anyone using TRICARE related services, not just TRICARE for Life (TFL). Here is a link to the OMB report. Congressional Budget Office - Budget Options, Volume 1: Health Care

Search for TRICARE and read 95, 96 and 97. They are out to increase cost for active duty, retirees not eligible for TFL and those using TFL.

Please review and write your Congressional representatives.

If you know of anyone who is Retired Military, please forward this on to them.

I don't know how many of you partake of the Tri Care program but here is a very interesting note on the subject. Seems as though our President Elect has placed a priority on cutting it out of the budget as a means to provide funding for those things he promised during the campaign.

In any case, on page 189 of the Congressional Budget Office report, there is a strong recommendation to eventually eliminate the program as it is too expensive? I would ask that you contact your elected officials and register your strong opposition to the elimination of this program. Just another move to slight those of us who dedicated much of our adult lives to the defense of our country?

Thanks for listening.

BGEN Bob Clements, USAF Ret

[PBzeer]

Just like Carter, the only place to "cut spending", is on the military.

[xort]

"It would initiate cost sharing to require retirees to pay the first $525 of medical cost and 50% of the next $4,725 for a first year cost of $2,888 per person. It would be indexed to increase with inflation. A reason given for this action (for PR effect) is "overuse" by Retirees."


I wholeheartedly support the military. I don't care for democrats. But in general, this is a good idea. I suspect the $4725 will be lowered quite a bit as it goes through congress, I hope so. But, when something is entirely free, it inevitably gets abused. I remember back when Lee Iacocca took over Chrysler. Everybody, Union and white collar, had free health care. Lee said that the AVERAGE number of X-rays was 25 per person per year!!! When it's free, the doctors and patients abuse the system.

So some sort of cost sharing needs to be applied to all health care to make one think twice before asking for a bunch of extra tests because you have cold.



I wonder what the deductable is for the congressional health care plan?

[HerbDB]

Originally Posted by xort

" But, when something is entirely free, it inevitably gets abused.

A. It is not free. I personally paid with 20 plus years service to my county.

B. It is not free. There is currently a $150 per person deductible then it covers 75% of the remaining allowed charge.

This change constitutes a reduction in my earned military retirement benefits.

[Sailormon6]

I don't like the idea that, when they want you to charge up a hill in the face of hostile fire, they promise you everything, but, after you have taken the hill, they "withdraw" their promises, and, to add insult to injury, they claim they're taking away your benefits because you greedily overused them.

If the President wants to end those benefits for future enlistees, that would at least be fair, but not for the people who have already earned them.

If the benefits are being overused, there are ways of dealing with that. Medical diagnosticians can distinguish between legitimate medical needs and unnecessary usage.

[sck5]

Everybody is getting crappier and crappier medical coverage in this country. When are you wingnuts going to wise up and realize there is a better way to do it? EVERY other industrialized country has universal health insurance. They have better results by every measure of health there is and at half the cost we pay. The only ones that look bad compared to us are the ones (like the Brits) who have also nationalized the doctors and hospitals. But ohmygod that would be SOCIALISM!!! We wouldnt want to risk doing that just for better medical care at half the price now would we?

[chucklesR]

I get my health care through John Hopkins, which manages it under Tricare. It's a earned benefit, I did my time, I earned it. If it's abused, tell the doctor's not me.

Who the hell out there thinks it's fair to modify a contract after the other party has already paid with blood, sweat and tears?

If you really feel that way I invite you to my place so I can extract some from you.

If this goes into effect I can't wait until they begin lowering social security payments and medicare coverage.
Idiots. Born every day.

Sck, as to your insanity, please, please, move to one of those countries you favor and live with it for a while, then come back. There is a reason they come here for medical care instead of waiting for it at home.

It's not just socialism, it flies in the face of the facts.

[Sailormon6]

Originally Posted by sck5

Everybody is getting crappier and crappier medical coverage in this country. When are you wingnuts going to wise up and realize there is a better way to do it? EVERY other industrialized country has universal health insurance. They have better results by every measure of health there is and at half the cost we pay. The only ones that look bad compared to us are the ones (like the Brits) who have also nationalized the doctors and hospitals. But ohmygod that would be SOCIALISM!!! We wouldnt want to risk doing that just for better medical care at half the price now would we?

You just don't get it, sck5. The health care that is currently being provided to members of the military by the government is exactly what you're advocating for all of us. You want us all to have our health care provided by the government, just like the members of the military, who are now learning that, what the government giveth, the government can and will taketh away. Politicians will promise you anything in order to get your vote, knowing that the government ultimately won't have the resources to pay for it. Ten or twenty years after you have given them your vote, when they're about ready to retire on their comfy government pension, they can take the benefits away from you, and there's nothing you can do about it. If you don't think that's true, just ask the military, who are in danger of losing these medical benefits. Oh, and also, just ask the Social Security retirees, who were promised a secure retirement and, after having money deducted from their paychecks all their lives for their retirement, are now being told that they won't be able to retire and get any of their money until after age 70, or later. That's the health care plan that you want us all to accept for ourselves. The promises of Democrat politicians sound good until you realize that they're empty promises, and subject to being withdrawn.

Social Security sounded good until you learned that you won't be able to collect it. Likewise, Universal Health Care sounds good, until you realize that it eventually won't be there when you need it, and, by that time, the private health care system in this country will be so dismantled that there won't be a viable substitute.

[chucklesR]

Precisely Sailormon6.

When I joined the deal was free health care for life if you retired, now it's Tricare which costs me 12 bucks a visit, a yearly fee, and other co-pays - and it cuts off totally at 65 when I must convert to Medicare.
Politicians have already cut it back on us just since I retired.

I do indeed wish my 'free' health care plan on every left wing nut job that thinks socialized medicine is the way to go.

Fortunately, they sell supplemental insurance to cover the gaps in my 'free' health care.

[WouldaShoulda]

Originally Posted by sck5

We wouldnt want to risk doing that just for better medical care at half the price now would we?

Better care for 1/2 the price??

Why hasn't any insurance or mutual company profited from this brainchild??

Are there "secrets" that are being withheld from us??

What else is being supressed??

Perpetual energy generating machines??

100mpg carborators??