Military Officer - April 2007 - (Page 40) washingtonscene Leaders Bash TRICARE Cut Key House subcommittee chairman says Pentagon proposal “poisons the water.” A t a House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee hearing Feb. 13, Chairman Vic Snyder (D-Ark.) admonished Dr. William Winkenwerder, the Pentagon’s chief health official, concerning the nearly $1.9 billion in Pentagon-proposed funding cuts to the Defense Health Program. DoD previously has indicated the savings would come from forcing retirees under age 65 to pay substantially higher TRICARE fees and requiring all beneficiaries to pay higher retail pharmacy copayments. Last year, DoD’s analysis showed most of the savings came from the assumption that the higher fees would deter retirees from using their earned benefits. Winkenwerder said the proposed $1.9 billion cut is just a “placeholder” and the ongoing Task Force on the Future of Military Health Care will decide what fee increases or other initiatives would generate the savings. Snyder objected to that characterization, saying the budget cut has “poisoned the water for the task force,” effectively forcing them to come up with at least equal fee increases or program cuts. The subcommittee’s senior Republican, Rep. John McHugh (N.Y.), voiced similar concerns, asking how DoD would address the shortfall if the task force doesn’t support at least equal fee increases. Winkenwerder acknowledged that would force some “fairly dramatic” program cuts. MOAA thinks the subcommittee objections are on target. It’s wrong to underfund defense health programs this way. Col. Bob Norton, USA-Ret., MOAA deputy director of Government Relations, spoke at a Feb. 15 press conference endorsing bipartisan proposals to fix the GI Bill. Legislators Push for GI Bill Fixes Bipartisan bills focus on Guard and Reserve inequities. A bipartisan team of senators and representatives held a joint press conference Feb. 15 to unveil their proposed “Total Force Montgomery GI Bill” for the 21st century. Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and Reps. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.), Stephanie Herseth (D-S.D.), John Boozman (RArk.), and Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) held a press conference to highlight their proposed legislation to modernize educational benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB). Lincoln and the original cosponsor, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who was not able to attend, have introduced it as S. 644 in the Senate, while Snyder, Herseth, Boozman, and Sanchez are sponsoring the companion H.R. 1102 in the PHOTO: SEAN SHANAHAN 40 MILITARY OFFICER APRIL 2007
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