Military Officer - March 2009 - (Page 31) washingtonscene Health Scare Budget “options” published by the CBO have stirred worries among military retirees about TRICARE For Life and more. And there’s some reason for concern. L E G I S L AT I V E N E W S T H AT A F F E C T S Y O U A document published by $4,725. This option also would impose the CBO in December 2008 charges for those who use military hoshas been causing underpitals and clinics; standable consternation I raise TRICARE fees for military on many fronts, including retirees under age 65 to more than douthe military and veterans community. Omi- ble the current rates. Annual enrollment nously titled “Budget Options: fees for TRICARE Prime Volume 1, Health Care” (with would be $550 (single) and more volumes yet to come $1,100 (family). TRICARE It’s only a on other issues), it offers “115 Standard deductibles would matter of options for reducing (or, in be raised to $350 (single) some cases, increasing) federal time before and $700 (family), plus spending on health care, alterannual enrollment fee attacks on an $50 (single) and $100 ing federal health care proof TRICARE grams, and making substantive (family), plus additional For Life changes to the nation’s health charges for those who use insurance system.” military facilities; will come. Those options range from I end VA health care eligiauthorizing private-sector bility for veterans in categoworkers to purchase coverage ries 7 and 8 (nondisabled under the federal civilian health plan to veterans above certain income levels); and raising the Medicare eligibility age to 67 I reopen VA health care enrollment to and raising Medicare Part B premiums by category 8 veterans for five years. 40 percent. First things first: It’s important to unSeveral options in particular grab the derstand that this book of options is nothattention of the military and veterans coming new. The CBO puts out similar lists munity, including options that would: of options at the start of every Congress, I authorize a $500 annual health care and previous option books have included allowance for active duty families but these or similar proposals. Some of the charge them 10 percent of the cost of care cuts were, in fact, put in the Bush adminand impose a fee for them to use military istration’s annual budgets, but they were hospitals and clinics; rebuffed by Congress every year. I change TRICARE For Life so it would Second, these are options put forth by not cover the first $525 of Medicarethe CBO, not recommendations. In many eligible military beneficiaries annual cases, the papers acknowledge there are cost-share and cover only half of the next downsides to the proposals, such as the MARCH 2009 COLA Deeper in the Hole I Inflation dropped another full percentage point in December, totaling -5 percent for the first three months of FY 2010. So inflation will have to rise at least 5 percent in the next 9 months to see any 2010 COLA at all. That’s happened only once in 19 years — but it was last year! MILITARY OFFICER 31
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.