Military Being Forced to Choose Between Tricare and Obamacare
Feb 28th, 2012 | By Tim George | Category: Today's Off The Grid News | Print This Article
Defense budget cuts proposed by the Obama administration will cause the cost of health care to increase radically for military families. The budget cuts, however, will not affect unionized civilian defense workers.
The disparity in how these cuts will affect uniformed personnel and civilians now has the military concerned as to what the effect will be on recruiting and retaining current personnel. Now, more than a few in Washington are suggesting the budget proposal is a calculated move to force military personnel into state-run insurance exchanges under the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act better known as Obamacare.
Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon (R–CA), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee is among a growing number who is doubtful about the proposal. “We shouldn’t ask our military to pay our bills,” he said, “when we aren’t willing to impose a similar hardship on the rest of the population. Speaking to the Washington Free Beacon he added, “We can’t keep asking those who have given so much to give that much more.”
The increases to military health care payments must be approved by Congress to go into effect. If passed, the bill would take $1.8 billion from the Tricare medical system in the fiscal 2013 budget, and $12.9 billion by 2017.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey defended the Pentagon’s proposed budget saying it is under a mandate to cut $487 billion over the next 10 years. The Pentagon faces another $1 trillion in reductions when automatic cuts are triggered.
“I want those of you who serve and who have served to know that we’ve heard your concerns, in particular your concern about the tiered enrollment fee structure for Tricare in retirement,” Dempsey said. “You have our commitment that we will continue to review our health care system to make it as responsive, as affordable, and as equitable as possible.”
The plan proposes increases between 30% to 78% in annual premiums for Tricare during the first year. Over the next five years rates would increase from 94% to 345%, triple the current level. That would mean a retiring Army colonel with a family would see rates increase from $460 per year to over $2000 in just five years.
It isn’t just retired military personnel that would be hard hit by the changes. Active duty personnel would immediately see their co-payments increase for pharmaceuticals and lost incentives for opting for generic drugs.
A congressional aide said the administration’s proposed cuts exhibits a double standard. “We all recognize that we are in a time of austerity,” this aide said. “But defense has made up to this point 50 percent of deficit reduction cuts that we agreed to, but is only 20 percent of the budget.”
The aide added that the military has already given up equipment and force levels needed for global missions. “And now they are going to them again and asking them to pay more for their health care when you’ve held the civilian workforce at DoD and across the federal government virtually harmless in all of these cuts. And it just doesn’t seem fair.”
There are problems with the proposed cuts than just the money. The cuts are conveniently scheduled to not go into effect until after this election year, obviously a ploy to avoid agitating military voters any more than possible. Critics and uniformed personnel alike noticed quickly that civilian unionized workers will not be affected at all.
Military service organizations oppose the healthcare changes and contend the Pentagon is “means-testing” benefits for service personnel as if they were a social program, and not something earned with 20 or more years of military service. Retired Navy Capt. Kathryn M. Beasley told the Free Beacon, “This is a breach of faith” for both the active duty and retiree communities.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars has called on all military personnel and the veterans’ community to block the healthcare increases. Richard L. DeNoyer, head of the 2 million-member VFW said, “Any proposal that negatively impacts any quality of life program must be defeated, and that’s why the VFW is asking everyone to join the fight and send a united voice to Congress.”
Congress must pass all the proposed changes into law. Tricare for Life, Tricare Prime, and Tricare Standard increases must be approved, as well as some of the pharmacy fee increases as current law limits Tricare fee increases to cost of living increases in retirement pay.
©2013 Off The Grid News
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Join EFMP families gather 25,000 signatures for a petition to stop these increases and cuts to Tricare. EFMP families are already paying too much for healthcare!
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Ted Poe should be well informed.
“The aide added that the military has already given up equipment and force levels needed for global missions. “And now they are going to them again and asking them to pay more for their health care when you’ve held the civilian workforce at DoD and across the federal government virtually harmless in all of these cuts. And it just doesn’t seem fair.”.
What is good for the goose is good for the gander. ALL civilians in the DoD and Federal government need to suffer from the same healthcare cuts and costs that is being asked of the military, past and present. Unions be d___med!
This is a breach of faith and also I would call this a breach of contract. Obama needs all to consent to his plan for one reason nobody can sue a government health care system. I would think somewhere a written commitment in behalf of the military and the country we served to have a contract that would insure the service that was rendered by the men and women would insure that they would have a plan for retirement with benefits .It seems to me those that volintere are considered just doing their job.and to have a military force it will bring back the draft. I never thought I would see the day that The United States of America would loose her integrity that made us strong and proud. Greed has caused many a country to fall to their enemies for the lack of leadership and respect. You may present this to our potantay. He is not a President he is a dictor. I will not vote for Obama
the article is misinformed. Obama has repeatedly promised the PPACA would not negatively affect military helath benefits, and when that wasn’t good enough (word of your commander not good enough?!?) legislation was passed ensuring it. read all about it here: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41198.pdf
SUrf,
What the article actually states is that the forced budget cuts are the driving the rate hikes not that the PPACA affects benefits. Simply put, Tricare benefits remain the same but the cost to the retired service member and active duty families will increase (familiy copays and some prescriptions – AD member is covered). Although the article does not specifically state so, it seems to be implied that due to the rates hikes there will be those that will be forced to look at other options outside of Tricare putting them into the PPACA realm.
Give me 5 reasons why I should believe the “commander in chief”.When I enlisted we were paid $68 or 76 a month with the promise of FREE health care for life for us and our dependents. We moved all over the world when told to do so,we many times were forced to live in base quarters,could not build equity in a house, or do other things nonmilitary could do while offering to give our life to protect those progressives that hated our guts and the country we served.
I’m seriously offended that you believe that every military vet is a stinkin, narrow minded redneck. I am a moderate dem and believe in our country progressing into the future and I served for 8 years as well as my husband in the Marines. How dare you assume such crap!!
You need to lear n the meaning of progress. The progresswive regime we have now is progressing into full fledged ommunism, aka socialism, aka progressivism. You need to go and live where they have or have had this kind of tyranny where a leader bypasses all the checks and balances of they sytem to dictate his will. Listen tt the voices of those who live here that escaped from that type of system and their cries that they do not want to go back into the smae thing.
I am a reired Marine and I fear for my life under this regime that has declared me to be a potential terrorist. Primarily because I believe in the oth I took and do not desire to have this great nation that the founders gave us destroyed by a bunch of lazy good for nothing welfare mentality dupes that vote in people like Obama. I also think is is a travesty that an elction that is so fraught with fraud is not called into question. It is so obvious that the dems rigged the election when 185% of the registered voters voted for Obama. All the battle ground state have a tremendous probllem with this kind of fraud.
Dr. David Ozanne, GySgt USMC (retired)
I agree with Dr. Dave. However, if you stay around this country, within the next four years you have the opportunity to see that type of socialism at work right here. I also strongly believe in the oath I took when I enlisted and still believe I am held to that oath even now. I will never accept Obamacare, even if my family has to do without health care at all. I will gladly go to jail first. Those that see what is happening right now and can say that what he is doing to this country is good for it, are refusing to open their eyes and look. They are refusing to see that he has taken this country’s defense down, for the first time in history, to a point that we cannot cover two fronts at the same time. They refuse to see that he has put us into a debt that is more in just 4 years that the last 5 presidents combined. They are refusing to see that he is circumventing the Congress to push his own agendas with his Presidential Mandates with more than 900 of them in the last four years. Most Presidents usually have 30 or so. This person has done more in the last four years that would be cause for impeachment than any other President in history. And yet, he remains untouched. I strongly believe in the oath I took, and believe that I am still held to that oath until the day I die. And there are thousands of vets that believe the same thing. I pray constantly that my children and grandchildren will not have to grow up in a world that does not know freedoms that we have enjoyed. But I fear that this will not be so.
SSG, USA, Retired
Hmm. who to trust…experts in the field doing careful research, or an article in “Off the grid news” with no factual sources cited. http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41198.pdf
Even with the raises in premiums being considered, I’d still be about 70% BELOW what I would pay if I were to take my employer based health plan. (I’m a retired CPO).
Also, if you read the recent legislation, prescription drug prices won’t change IF you use the mail order pharmacy.
The only reason this should affect active duty is if they are getting non-formulary prescriptions filled out in town, or are in the small number who have no MTF in their area to use.
Mine have already increased more than 100% in some cases. One prescription went from $9 to $ 25. Better check your facts. I am in tricare for life and they also quit paying the secondary insurance on my hospital and doctor.
Dr. David Ozanne GySgt USMC (retired)
Can anyone explain just why, besides politics, demands, threats, cohesion, biased negotiations, BS contracts, all these unions are getting off Scott free? Not to include all those collecting Medicaid (not to be confused with Medicare which you have paid into to receive), illegals receiving health care, the poor that “cannot afford insurance”, etc. Just why is it that those that have given with military service, are being asked to forget the good faith contract they had/have and to suck it up so that others (those I just listed above) can continue receiving better health care than the military (active and veterans)?
Is this a joke? Complaining about having to pay $2000 per year in 2017. Who else gets insurance rates anywhere near that low? Quit whining and be happy that the military gets some of the best benefits anyone in this country will ever see.
You must not have ever been in the military. Disabled veterans have been forced into being taking care of with “socialized medicine.” THAT is NOT quality medicine and the military healthcare is the same. The amputees with fantastic prosthetics often seen on TV are not the full and accurate indication of the medical attention military personnel receive.
I have been misdiagnosed time and time again in the military and at the VAMC. Over the years I have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in getting correct diagnoses or trying to undo the damage done. I no longer have private insurance because of my military service.
Many of us vets are now concerned about “O-care” and the increase in “oops, they accidentally (on purpose) died” of “natural causes.” The elderly and vets will be some of the first to go due to the forthcoming medical system coming down the pike. The elderly because socialism/communism (whatever you “ism” you want to call it) feel they have nothing to offer; Vets because of the threat they pose to those trying to take away our God-given rights and hard blood-won freedoms we have in this great country. (Rights and freedoms deteriorating because of the ignorant wanting to replace them for a false – and very invasive – sense of security.
P.S. And for those wondering: no, this is not paranoia talking, but reality from someone who knows.
P.P.S. And: yes, I would go to war again in defense of this blessed country and others striving for freedom.
Bob’s comments are probably from someone who has never made any sacrifices for his country. He seems to think that all is peaches and cream with life in the military. He obviously is a clueless individual. As a retired Air Force member with over 23 years of active military service to include one year in combat in Viet Nam in 1971, I think that I understand what is required of one to make sacrifices for the country that I love. In 1968 when I entered military service, we were told that if we gave our country 20 years of loyal service we would be rewarded with a pension to include FULL MEDICAL AND DENTAL CARE for life. What a lie?? Our dental care has long been denied and now they are working on our medical care. So what? We are the ones who serve when called and go into harm’s way when needed. We are the ones who move from base to base when called to meet the needs of the service. So much for settling in one place and building some equity in a home or perhaps enabling one’s spouse to pursue some kind of career. People like Bob really get me going! I for one would love to punch him square in the nose. What a complete clueless individual.
So what else is new. No good deed goes unpunished.
As a career military retiree and vet… I’ve been told to go somewhere and die at my MTF
The so-called clinic wins awards apparently for it’s great service to the select few they choose to help -unfortunately I apparently am not one of the chosen ones despite paying a huge percent of my income on their “insurance” and false promises that it would be better than CHAMPUS!
I have NO other choice because I live too close to it.
My daughter when she was 10 was told to go without glasses because she broke the ones I paid for out of pocket – she was only allowed to have an eye exam every 2 years so I once again paid completely out of pocket and BTW she has life altering birth defects from the WMDs that I worked on. There is NOTHING for her now through the military that caused those problems and insurance is far too costly for her because of her “preexisting conditions” – prior to being booted from Tricare.
The VA – god bless them didn’t have a clue what to do with a woman when I retired but they at least provided FAR MORE help than TriCare – (more like try to get care as soom as the for profit HMO honeymoon promises disappeared) All TriCare is in my opinion is another greedy HMO death panels based on “cost versus benefit” and all.
So, I have the choice with my costs for Tricare rapidly rising and my income because of NO retirement increases disappearing from plenty of inflation on all the essentials and balooning out of pocket healthcare costs on all the things that are NOT COVERED – to either hope that medicaid will cover me or the VA a couple hours away can improve to cover more than minimal care for women. Either way, I can’t see any difference – maybe Obamacare for EVERYONE – unions, civil service and elected officials is exactly what this nation needs – not likely to happen but I’d LOVE to see them get the “treatment” I’ve gotten
Amen to the “elected officials” getting the same kind of “treatment.”
All retirees better vote Republican unless you can afford to lose what you have earned.
Vote for Romney unless you don’t care about your wallet.
Not only is Obama Care going to have a negative impact on the cost of health care but the quality of care. Just learned the other day that as a retiree my spouse and dependents will be and are already being limited to which specialists we can see, even though the same specialist is still seeing active duty members and their dependents. Not every retiree qualifies for health care through the VA as it’s over loaded with those military members who are already in the system from time and age or due to service connected disabilities.
According to the most current legislation in regards to this bill, Tricare is an exception to the exemptions for health care plans…. I suspect that it’s because Tricare is seen as a benefit more than an insurance program.
To those who believe Obama Care is the way to go, remember the next time you see a vet needing medical care and still waiting to be seen. Remember that when more small businesses close down because they can’t afford the “fines/taxes”. Get informed, we can spend all day on the internet reading gossip and playing games, time to do some research and learn about the facts behind the talk.
To my fellow retirees, Thank You for serving alongside me in good faith. To Bob, it’s not the money it’s the lack of quality and timely care that’s eating away at me…. And watching my husband’s health deteriorate further because of a change in coverage that no one and I mean NO ONE learned about till the claim was processed… So Bob, please get your facts straight.
TSgt, USAF, Retired
With obamacare we all done for
Those that have made a comment have done well, but miss the point of OBCare. He and the Socialist want to do away with the military, and demoralize those that did serve. You’re not part of his plan and he could care less if you pay more or don’t get care. If fact if you die soon all the better, and the Flag O’s of today’s military will kiss his ring and help the Big O do his thing.
Greetings and conveyances to all;
With regard to government spending (I am speaking “of a useless nature”), there are many branches of government AND the military that could be eradicated and quite frankly never be missed …and goodness knows the money saved by doing so could, beyond all doubt, be spent more wisely elsewhere on far more important issues.
I wish to present to you folks, in hopes you can get this in front of someone who, in the federal government, could take whatever course necessary to eliminate a bit of waste, and therein provide a bit of money for other matters of far more importance. In fact, it is a foregone conclusion that we, as a nation, have NOTHING that can be manipulated into providing anywhere near what is needed to “cure the ailing economy” of the USA. In my humble opinion, we CAN ‘nit-pick’ through each and every federal “position” (job) and simply do away with those offices that are a complete waste of money (no matter HOW anyone looks at it). For instance;
When I was in the US Navy (21-years) fighting for this country, I learned that EVERY Branch of Service (except the Coast Guard), has a Musician Program. There are Navy Bands (LOTS of them), Air Force Bands, Marine Bands and (what they once called) “break-off” bands comprised of 1,000′s of “not so great” musicians (they join the military because there is no way they could make a living as a civilian musician). What do they do? Not much. Most go to work “around 0900 (9:00AM),” then MAYBE have a half-hearted rehearsal of music they have already been playing for decades (since high-school most often), and perhaps twice annually play for the Raising of The Flag at 0800 (sometimes). So, by noontime the majority of Navy Musicians are “free for the day” to do whatever they wish, change back into their civilian clothes, leave the base, and don’t return until “about 9 o’clock the next day. Every once in a “coon’s age” these “Big Band” styled brass-bands will be hired, (at the expense of the town or city hiring them), to go play for the sole reason of helping Navy Recruiters (or Air Force, Marine Corps, etc recruiters) with some positive PR hoping it will convince high-schoolers in 12th grade to join the military (and of course these recruiters are especially after the eligible girls (and I don’t believe I have to explain why do I?).
Further, each of these military bands are supplied with “every instrument that exists” (even if nobody can play it), and they receive new, extended cab vans to travel in each year (some of which barely have 10k on the odometer), and in short it is one of the biggest wastes of money I’ve ever seen in my life. (The most these bands ever do is play at “The officer’s club” (for free) while the “brass get lit on scotch” and “play their political games). Just the US Navy Band alone over the past 20 years, has cost a minimum of 5 million dollars a year, NOT counting each musician’s military pay, free medical/dental, free pediatric delivery and care …etc. (And what exactly does a musician do “to protect this country?” Absolutely nothing. In times of “all out war” (the last being WWII I believe), “some musicians were sent overseas to assist medics with carrying litters of the wounded or the dead FAR from enemy lines. NONE of the military musicians are ever trained in how to care for a weapon, much less are they able to fire one and hit a target. I retired in 1994 as a 100% disabled veteran (caught too much ‘flack’ from an explosion of metal too close for comfort). These musicians NEVER know the horrors of war, and never once over a 20yr period of service, have to worry about facing war (in any way except, maybe, perhaps end up helping move around the wounded or dead). So, there is at least ONE source of multi-millions of dollars being spent each year for MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS (like Fender Stratocaster guitars that NONE of their guitarists are “able to get out of the case” much less play it Professionally (and you would certainly expect a military musician to be “the best of the very best wouldn’t you? After all, they are being paid JUST AS MUCH as an Army Commando risking his life on the front lines (yet these military musicians never risk their lives unless they overdose on alcohol at the Enlisted Club during each and every afternoon. (Most musicians that I knew during my career were both pot smokers and hopeless alcoholics (and since “they look after their own” …they were allowed to get high and stay ‘sloshed’ (even when in concert to civilians for the purpose of PR to assist recruiters), so that they would “make it to retirement.” Drying the out wasn’t something EVER considered nor done (to my knowledge). I only remember that each day one of us would see them leaving their building in civilian clothes and driving out the main gate, and not return till the next day ….and put in another 3hrs work, if even that long. Many days they just were not there, but their “travel vehicles” were all there, so they were not “on the road” working. Moreover, many of the times they DID ‘hit the road’, a full-blown tour bus would pick them all up and take them to and then return them from where ever they were being sent to put on a 45 minute “show” (which were horrible compared to ANY band which plays “for peanuts” in small bars and clubs). Of course, if the Navy Band or any other military band was playing at a fair, all one had to say was, “I’m only here to listen to the Military Band.” (That would entitle them to get onto the grounds 100% free …even if they didn’t go to the actual concert).
Isn’t it time that we got rid of these useless, wasteful programs and then use the millions that would be saved each year towards something the military is actually in place for? In a war, what are the musicians, the greater percentage of them, really used for? Nothing at all. The trumpet players might have to go play “Taps” at a military funeral, and then you should have heard them “bitch” about having to drive 45 minutes just to play “taps” for some dead guy. They always said it was a waste of their time, and each of them thought each other were “better than thou” and most certainly the best musicians around (when in reality ANY civilian band with half of what they had for musical equipment could “eat their lunch” (blow them away) easily.
Now that this is off my chest I thank you for listening to my rant. I also hope like heck you can get somebody upstairs in the military to dispense with ALL Military Bands since they do nothing that is remotely worth the money it costs to employ and support them for the time they spend in the military. (It is a truth that ALL of the “good” musicians put in four years then leave, because they refuse to play the “politics” that denote who will be the next Band Leader. It won’t be the best musician that gets the job, but rather, the “fair haired boy who knew how to kiss the most ‘hind-ends’ in order to be advanced to an Officer’s rank and pay, and on and on and on it goes.
I’m hoping you folks can present this to someone so that “military waste” becomes a word of the past. I do not see why any part of the military needs ONE musician for anything at all, and I doubt there is one person out there who can justify their presence within our fighting forces, especially since they never put in more than a three-hour day and usually work a four-day week. What a way to do “your 20″ huh?
*Please forgive any errors and mis-spellings as I have a massive migraine, but saw that it would be “good” to let this cat out of the bag once and for all. Waste is waste, and I doubt any civilians paying the “new” taxes would find the least bit of humor in this letter. Yes?
Cheers and Thank You Very Much
Equorial
when i went into the service we were told if we did 20 years we would get a retirement and health care free for life. well i spent a total of 39 years 23 days counting active and reserve time and now they say i have to pay. i don’t see our pals in Washington giving up anything.