The End of Tricare For Life For the Military

[Matt34]

I guess literally giving your right arm for your country isn't enough to even secure a decent health care plan.

http://www.floridalegion.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=196:the-american-legion-department-of-florida-end-of-tricare-for-life-tfl&catid=34:news&Itemid=50

All Military Retirees:

This is a "Heads Up" on a battle we are facing now and down the road with the current Administration. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has already drafted proposed legislation that would basically reduce our TRICARE for Life benefits to a system whereby we pay deductibles and co-pays up to $6,301 the first year for you and your spouse, with future years being indexed to increase with inflation.

What can we do? The article below, obtained from an Air Force Association and written by BG Bob Clements, best describes what we can do. Please read it and check the links for CBO language and do what Bob says-Send this email to every Military Retiree you know and write and email your Congressman often. For those of you that might have voted for "Change", you should do it more than often!

TRICARE FOR LIFE'S FUTURE.... TRICARE For Life (TFL) was instituted to correct the broken promise that military retirees would receive free health care coverage for life and it covers the Medicare co-pay. Now a heavy assault has begun on Veterans'/Retirees' benefits to pay for other programs promised during the campaign. The one item of most interest to retired military is in Article 189.

If approved by Congress the first assault wave would hit 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 "over use" by Retirees. For those of you who are covered by TFL you will want to pay attention (Below) to what BG Bob Clements has surfaced about the future of TFL. In any case, on page 189 of the Congressional Budget Office report, see the note below on how to get to that spot, there is a strong recommendation to eventually eliminate the program as it is too expensive.

Just another move to slight those of us who dedicated much of our adult lives to the defense of our country. Strongly recommend that you contact your elected officials and register your strong opposition to the elimination of the TFL program. Heads-up from BG Bob Clements,USAF Ret(P38 Bob) The following has been added to the Congressional Budget Office Web Site

http://www.cbo.gov/

a. Budget, Options, Volume 1: Health Care

http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=9925

For those who have never opened one of these web sites from OMB:
1. Double click on the above URL
2. Click on PDF
3. Click on the binoculars
4. Do a search for TFL

Now here it is folks and I will guarantee if you sit around on your behind and do nothing about it as they bring these options forward this coming year, you will lose one of the best healthcare benefits that the Medicare eligible retired military have. It is short of the
promises made that we fought so hard for back in the late 90s and early 2000s, but it is still the best healthcare program that anyone in the United States has, bar none.

People who are professionals always look for the channel of least resistance when it comes to cutting money out of the Federal and DOD budget. I can tell you this straight on, military retirees are one of those channels of least resistance noted for sitting around,
doing nothing, and waiting for ole Joe to do it for them. You had better wake up. Your medical benefits are prime target. If you lose them, you have nobody to blame but yourself. Let me repeat that ...you have nobody to blame but yourself.

The way to secure your benefits is to write to your members of Congress and to keep writing and writing and writing. ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH!! Keep repeating the above statement until you are blue in the face. Now I'm going to make one more statement to all of you younger people out there who are not yet eligible for TRICARE for
Life. HEALTH CARE WILL EVENTUALLY BECOME THE DOMINATING FACTOR IN YOUR LIFE. Remember that...it will impact you big time with the utmost in cruelty unless you are fortunate enough to die from a heart attack or get run over by a
truck.

The service organizations will put up a fight, but, they will need your help and can't do it by themselves. I hope this makes it clear as to what you can expect if you do nothing. To show you how stupid these professionals can be at times just read the data on the noted
sites closely. You will see that in spite of the MTFs (Military Treatment Facility) need to get patients back to keep their doctors busy and the hospitals from going to clinic status, these people from OMB would employ a means to keep retirees from using MTF facilities by charging them a fee for services. How dumb can you get. Even if you
are Obama fans, and believe that changeth cometh, TFL option from OMB will not go away. They need the money they spend on you for other programs for people who produce nothing but votes to keep their boss in office. If you know of anyone who is Retired Military, please forward this on to them.

Remember- TFL is an "Earned Benefit" that's been granted by a previous Congress.


Here is a message you can send:

Please address this issue: It appears that promised and congressionally approved benefits to men and women who dedicate great portions of their life to the service of their nation may be greatly reduced or eliminated in order to pay for other federal programs.

TRICARE For Life (TFL) was instituted to correct the broken promise that military retirees would receive free health care coverage for life and it covers the Medicare co-pay. However the Congressional Budget Office's Budget Options, Volume I, Health Care dated Dec 2008 represents an assault Veterans'/Retirees' benefits designed to pay
for other programs promised during the campaign. On page 189 of the Congressional Budget Office report there is a strong recommendation to eventually eliminate the program as it is too expensive. Check page 175 to189 under option 96 to option 98, Introduce Minimum Out-Of-Pocket Requirements Under TRICARE For Life. Additionally, option 97 recommends doubling the TRICARE Prime premiums and co-pays. Option 94 recommends increasing out of pocket expenses for family members of active duty military members.

Proposed legislation that would basically reduce military retiree TRICARE for Life benefits to a system whereby we pay deductibles and co-pays up to $6,301 the first year with future years being indexed to increase with inflation. If approved by Congress the first assault wave would hit 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 "over use" by Retirees.

 

[NicolasKL]

http://www.veteranstoday.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4459

Tricare for Life not on Chopping Block

 

[Matt34]

The fact that it's brought up as an option is disconcerting, the last paragraph (page 175) states something to the effect that those retirees with low incomes may not use the system as much as they should and therefore may suffer from poor health due to higher fees.

 

[XEagleDriver]

Thanks

Matt,

Thanks for the info, especially the link to the CBO report.

One small correction, this fight is not new, or linked just to the current administration.

As proof, note the date of publication on the CBO Health Options report is Dec 2008, and a report this wordy and extensive had to be well underway way before the last election results.

I say this to avoid the partisan BS finger-pointing which derails the focus from the MAIN ISSUE--these benefits were earned, not just given by the grace of Congress. They were pre-paid in; higher risks (like death or injury), lower relative wages (e.g. compare the salary of a mid-career military pilot to his airline counterpart!), and family sacrifice (moves, separations, etc.). These are all elements the CBO is routinely blind and deaf to.

This fight over military health care has been on-going since the day TRICARE was instituted. The green-eye shade crowd of @#$!%s at CBO constantly target military programs as "low hanging fruit". Theses benefit issues affect long-term military retention and hence readiness. These attacks also pop-up with more vigor during each economic down-turn when military retention has logically better numbers.

One of the most effective organizations watching and calling out Congress and the Administration on things military is MOAA (www.moaa.org). I highly recommend joining MOAA to all military folks (Active, Guard/Reserve, or Retired).

Cheers,
XEagleDriver
Lt Col, USAF, (ret.)

 

[Matt34]

Matt,

Thanks for the info, especially the link to the CBO report.

One small correction, this fight is not new, or linked just to the current administration.

As proof, note the date of publication on the CBO Health Options report is Dec 2008, and a report this wordy and extensive had to be well underway way before the last election results.

I say this to avoid the partisan BS finger-pointing which derails the focus from the MAIN ISSUE--these benefits were earned, not just given by the grace of Congress. They were pre-paid in; higher risks (like death or injury), lower relative wages (e.g. compare the salary of a mid-career military pilot to his airline counterpart!), and family sacrifice (moves, separations, etc.). These are all elements the CBO is routinely blind and deaf to.

This fight over military health care has been on-going since the day TRICARE was instituted. The green-eye shade crowd of @#$!%s at CBO constantly target military programs as "low hanging fruit". Theses benefit issues affect long-term military retention and hence readiness. These attacks also pop-up with more vigor during each economic down-turn when military retention has logically better numbers.

One of the most effective organizations watching and calling out Congress and the Administration on things military is MOAA (www.moaa.org). I highly recommend joining MOAA to all military folks (Active, Guard/Reserve, or Retired).

Cheers,
XEagleDriver
Lt Col, USAF, (ret.)

I'm reading a couple of other links now...
http://www.moaablogs.org/healthcare/2009/06/tricare-for-life-important/

 

[Buckeye_Nut]

I guess literally giving your right arm for your country isn't enough to even secure a decent health care plan.

One quick look at the party leadership in Washington, and the above comes as no surprise. The military and it's veterans are not worthy.... c'mon, the FED's need to free up tax dollars to fund more abortions.
(both domestic and globally)

 

[10010011]

One quick look at the party leadership in Washington, and the above comes as no surprise. The military and it's veterans are not worthy.... c'mon, the FED's need to free up tax dollars to fund more abortions.
(both domestic and globally)

Obviously you chose to ignore XEagleDriver's and Matt34's most recent post above.

But here is an excerpt from Matt's link in his most recent post for you.

We’ve received a ton of inquiries from members who received a chain message with this subject line that talks about a Congressional Budget Office idea to jack up fees for TRICARE for Life beneficiaries.

The content is based on truth, but it’s about 6 months out of date and is no longer relevant.

(Meaning it is a left over from the Bush administration!)

If you receive the message from someone, please DON’T forward it on, but refer them to this answer about it.

Unfortunately, things sent out on the internet acquire lives of their own that go on long after the origin has been overcome by events.

The message refers to a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) options list that was prepared last year. It provided a list of options (not recommendations) that government leaders might consider if they wanted to increase or cut spending in various areas of government – health care in this case.

The CBO puts out this kind of list after every congressional election. In most cases, nothing comes of the recommendations – at least those on military health care.

Worries that such initiatives would show up in President Obama’s budget proved unfounded. The new budget proposes fully funding TRICARE for the first time in four years – with no proposed benefit reductions or fee increases.

 

[10010011]

I guess literally giving your right arm for your country isn't enough to even secure a decent health care plan.

Now that you yourself have found this to be nothing more than internet urban myth, you should do the right thing and remove this thread.

 

[MinusTheBear]

Now that you yourself have found this to be nothing more than internet urban myth, you should do the right thing and remove this thread.

Unfortunetly there are a few moderators that have heavy politcal biases, so they let things slide now. If you remember the days of Joe Schmoe he was given red chicklets, threatened with banning and even told to shut up with the bush comments and even put on probation. Yes he might of became heated and rubbed people the wrong way but at least Schmoe didn't spam the steam vent on a daily basis with political threads like a few members do now.

 

[Matt34]

I'm man enough to owe up to my mistakes so I'm going to keep it up for others to see it's not true.

MinusTheBear,

None of Joe Schmoe's infraction's had to do with political threads, however every single one of them were for insulting members. Thanks for the support, glad to see you approve of my job here.
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/member.php?u=22081

 

[MinusTheBear]

I'm just saying I see much less moderator involvement (actually none) with any of the political threads. For example the political threads started by Buckeyenut which are essentially spam. He is just able to roam freely. That wouldn't have been the case with the last administration and Joe Schmoe. Just my opinion.

 

[Nemo128]

I work with a lot of soldiers and their family members who have serious issues with TRICARE. It's just as broken as the rest of our medical system, it just happens to be a lot cheaper than any publically-available option out there. That's including the options civilian employees of the fed get. The woman has far better and cheaper medical, dental, and vision plans than me.