Posted on 03/04/2012 3:30:11 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Concern is sinking in over the long-term effects of President Barack Obama's proposed budget cuts to military health care spending.
Critics say that by taking aim at the military health care program by adding additional fees and increasing required payments, the President is dishonoring troops and hurting the military's recruiting power.
The budget put forth by Mr Obama- which still needs to be approved by Congress before being enacted- would create $487billion in cuts over the next 10 years.
One of the biggest areas of contention is the increases of health care fees that specifically target military retirees by boosting their co-pay charges and deductibles.
Some reports cite unidentified administration officials as saying that they hope that the increases would put pressure on the retirees to opt out of their veterans benefits and sign up for the program put in place by President Obama's controversial Affordable Care Act which was approved in 2010.
'Would you stay with a car insurance company that raised your premiums by 345 per cent in five years? Probably not,' an unidentified congressional aide told Fox News, hinting that their plan to get veterans to sign up with other insurers would work....
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Meant it as laying out facts. Sorry you took it as otherwise.
You’re right. It’s clear they want to discourage retirees from using this benefit that they earned and were promised. I know. I know. It wasn’t written into the enlistment contracts, but virtually every recruiter promised free health care for life.
As you wrote, the risks of a military career are simply not the same as for most other employees. It’s not only that military members are in combat or sent to combat zones. They are also subjected to a wide range of additional health issues from overseas travel to less than sanitary regions. That’s why many were given all sorts of inoculations, to include combat warfare drugs. It wasn’t an option. You did what you were ordered to do.
Finally, I note with some interest the progressive scheme of the Obama premium increases. They just can’t let someone get a bit more $ than someone else. So you work your butt off to rise as high as you can in the military, taking on all sorts of additional responsibility, only to have your premiums increased. You get the same Tricare coverage as the next G.I., but you get to pay more for it because you had the gall to make rank!
I only recently started using the VA medical system. All of my copays on drugs are $8. Three of them I can get at Walmart or Target for $4. I’m doing a new means test next month and I’m probably going to have to start paying copays for office visits and medical procedures (hope I don’t need any soon). And I don’t make much.
Indeed.
“TRICARE Prime annual enrollment fees for retired families (currently $520) would rise as high as $820 starting October 1, 2012, and rise to as much as $2,048 within five years, with fees based on military retired pay amount...
...Retirees and family members age 65 and older would start paying an annual TRICARE For Life (TFL) enrollment fee of up to $135 per person starting this Oct. 1. This fee also would be graduated based on retired pay amount, and would rise to as much as $475 per year within 5 years.”
http://militaryadvantage.military.com/2012/02/proposed-tricare-fee-increases-target-retirees/
Troops & vets should form unions. Barry loves union benefits.
And it is happening to everyone for one reason: Obamacare.
Repeal Obamacare...and co-pays...and deductibles...and premiums...will retreat to more acceptable levels...for everybody.
I think this guy might be a troll.
He raises the budget to record levels and then cuts the crap out of the military as if he is doing something about the deficit. What an a**hat.
“eldest”?
NOt really, most valued is more likely.
Luckily (so to speak), I’m at 40%, so my only co-pay is the $8 for non-service connected medications. If I to 50% or more, that goes away, too, IIRC.
Seems you're right. He has been ZOTTED!
Should you be F'ing with the pitbull you trained to kill on command? Probably not.
Did you miss this part of the article?:
Some reports cite unidentified administration officials as saying that they hope that the increases would put pressure on the retirees to opt out of their veterans benefits and sign up for the program put in place by President Obama's controversial Affordable Care Act which was approved in 2010.
These cuts have nothing to do with whether the government can afford to pay for vets insurance and everything to do with Obamacare. BTW, you sound like a first class liberal. This idiot in the WH has raised spending to levels unheard of before but can't keep vets insurance intact.
....to expect anything different from a lying Constitution stomping, American hating MUSLIM would be puzzling
Congress has to approve this and I just don’t see this happening,...at least with the numbers cited....it would be political suicide for congress critters to vote for this.
It wasn't my comment. Please read the article and see the comment below. Plus my information is different than what this person stated so I was requesting more information.
Took the words right outta my mouth...
I was thinking he was a union plant for Obama. Then I wondered if it would affect only new military and not the present retired.
My husband is military but not retired military so it won’t affect us. We have private HC insurance Obama is destroying that as we speak.
The agenda is we all will be under Obama government control in the end.
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