http://spectator.org/articles/65335/grow
Of course they won't, since that's the point of a campaign commercial. People who are not filthy liars like unto you would read the entire transcript of the conversation and thus conclude differently.
As both of us are Medicare age and hubby is career 20 year Navy SCPO we have Tricare Life for those over 65 as secondary. Medicare sets limits on days spent in the hospital, generic drug use instead of name brand if there is a generic, cataract surgery is a MONO lens, they will not let you up grade and pay out of your pocket for a UP Grade to Toric lenses for those with bad astigmatism. They have set prices for every test, or procedure. Tricare does negotiate prices with drug stores, which is why Walgreen’s will not longer accept Tricare. They also have a deal with Nexium manufacture to provide it at $8 per month co-pay, doesn’t matter the pill count either. Other generics cost less than $2 per month depending on what they are. All the new drugs usually fall into the High Co-pay range. Crestor, Lipitor, Welchol, Lyrica to name a few. Some are in the mid-co-pay range like my name brand Synthyroid, or a non dose pack of Predisone. Dose pack has moved to the High Co-pay as cost for the blister packs has more than doubled vs single pills of the same amount.
In 2014 we were DOD MANDATED to use Military base dispensary or Express Scripts for Daily meds. In 2015 it became permanent. Co-pays went up in 2015. On top of the Medicare premium increase, and we get NO COLA raise for 2016.
So both of them either set prices or negotiates them. That $50 Mammo cost on average $243.00. But all the provided gets is $50 between the 2 providers. Some times Medicare will refuse to pay a cost, or Tricare Life. Provider has to eat what is not paid, and if the provider accepts Medicare they have to take Tricare Life as secondary whether they list it as a accepted provider or not.