You think this crap is going to pass? This is going to be too much of a shock to the family budget.
It's now in the President's FY 2007 budget request.
TRICARE is the military’s healthcare program. Over recent years, continual administrative improvements, including access to providers and information, have made the system easier to use. In addition to TRICARE administrative enhancements, comprehensive TRICARE benefits and low costs make it an attractive option for beneficiaries. The average out-of-pocket costs for an under age 65 military retiree and family is about $1,000 per year with TRICARE Prime (managed care) and about $1,500 with TRICARE Standard (fee-for-service) coverage. A similar Federal employee family pays on average $3,100 per year under the most popular Federal Employee Health Benefits managed care plan and $4,650 per year under the most popular fee-for-service plan.DOD continues to monitor rising healthcare costs and is working to ensure its health care programs are managed efficiently. However, other steps must be taken to reduce DOD’s health care expenses, which increasingly compete for resources needed to properly train and equip combat troops.
Since TRICARE offers an equal or superior benefit at significantly lower out-of-pocket cost than other plans, military retirees with second careers are increasingly dropping their employer health coverage and returning to TRICARE, often encouraged by incentives offered by current employers. In order to ensure that TRICARE competes with, but does not replace, the health benefits offered by these employers, the Budget includes proposals that would better align TRICARE premiums and copayments for retirees under 65 years of age with general health insurance plans.