Military Officer - January 2008 - (Page 32) washingtonscene And it means any TRICARE beneficiaries — TFL or under age 65 — who get the vaccine early in the fiscal year, before they’ve met their deductible, will pay most or all of the cost out-of-pocket. That’s irksome for TFL folks who haven’t paid deductibles and copayments for a while, but it’s a fact of TRICARE. MOAA thinks Medicare should cover the vaccine under Part B, not Part D. It’s not a pill you get at the drug store. It requires a doctor visit, which is a Part B issue. We also think TRICARE should exempt this vaccine — and other preventive measures – from the annual deductible. It’s penny-wise and pound-foolish to require payments that deter beneficiaries from getting preventive treatments that will save TRICARE a lot more money in the long run. percent more than last year’s funding but $3.5 billion less than the administration requested. Key provisions included: ■ Defense health programs: $23.5 billion, $918 million above the president’s budget request. Canceled proposed increases in TRICARE copayments. ■ Wounded warrior programs: Added $70 million to funding. ■ Military pay and manpower: Funded a 3.5-percent pay increase for all servicemembers (0.5 percent above the president’s request). Added funds to increase the Army by 7,000 troops, the Marine Corps by 5,000, and the Army National Guard by 1,300. ■ Military families: Included $2.6 billion for military family counselors, teachers, and child care providers. ■ Equipment: Added $980 million to upgrade Guard and Reserve equipment to ease deployment-related shortages. Added $11.6 billion to send more mine-resistant vehicles to ground troops in Iraq. The continuing resolution allowed continued operations of other federal agencies through Dec. 14, leaving Congress only a couple of weeks after the Thanksgiving recess to complete its work for the year. The continuing resolution also included $2.9 billion in special “bridge” funding for the VA to get a head start on meeting higher funding needs for the new fiscal year until Congress passes the VA Appropriations Bill (see below). As this column went to press, the bill was headed to the president, who was expected to sign it into law. Also in November, the House and Senate were wrangling over lumping the VA appropriations bill with other federal departments’ appropriations bills the president thought were too expensive. As this column went to press, the House and Senate seemed inclined to pass the VA bill separately, because the president had pledged to sign it, even though it provides $3.7 billion more than the administration requested. Defense, VA Funds On Way VA gets extra $2.9 billion. I n mid-November, Congress passed the FY 2008 Defense Appropriations Bill, demonstrating once again that Congress knows how to work backward. Normally, the process is to approve the Defense Authorization Bill (which authorizes force levels, benefit changes, and weapon programs) first, and then the Appropriations Bill (which funds whatever Congress authorized). But the normal legislative process was reversed this year, when Hill leaders couldn’t finish the authorization bill before Thanksgiving. Congress also renewed a “continuing resolution” to keep the rest of the government running at 2007 spending levels, pending enactment of appropriations bills for other federal departments. The new defense-spending bill provided the Pentagon $459 billion — about 10 32 MILITARY OFFICER JANUARY 2008
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