Tough option for military retirees, vets

[thedrifter]

Tough option for military retirees, vets <br />
<br />
January 2, 2009 <br />
<br />
A new report from the Congressional Budget Office shows why some military retirees and veterans could face higher out-of-pocket costs...

[thedrifter]

Options To Limit Your Benefits
Posted By McQ

As I mentioned in my intro to the blog, I'm concerned that given the economic and fiscal problems, cuts in both military spending and veteran's benefits are looming.

A friend sends me an email circulating among us retired folks from BG Bob Clements. Clements is an old WWII P-38 pilot who fought the good fight years ago to ensure TRICARE For Life was extended to all retired service personnel. I want to stress - this is a benefit, not a giveaway. It is something you earned for making a career out of the military.

To refresh your memory:

TRICARE For Life (TFL) was introduced in 2002 as a supplement to Medicare for military retirees and their family members who are eligible for Medicare. The program pays nearly all medical costs not covered by Medicare and requires few out-of-pocket fees.

However, it appears that is in jeopardy.

And BG Clements makes a very important point:

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.

His point is well taken and if you pay any attention to how politics work, you know that politicians are loath to do something unpopular if they can avoid it. The obvious thing to do, then, is make this sort of thing very unpopular among national politicians.

The plan to cut the retiree benefits is contained in this Congressional Budget Office pdf. It is entitled "Budget Options, Volume I: Health Care". Its purpose, per the preface, is to "present 115 options for reducing (or, in some cases, increasing) federal spending on health care, altering federal health care programs, and making substantive changes to the nation’s health insurance system."

Scan the table of contents. Note some of the programs it addresses and also notice how many of them have planned expansions. Guess which program it doesn't plan to expand and, instead, is on the table for reductions?

There are 3 options specifically addressing TRICARE:

Option 95. Increase Health Care Cost Sharing for Family Members of Active-Duty
Military Personnel

Option 96. Introduce Minimum Out-of-Pocket Requirements Under TRICARE For Life

Option 97. Increase Medical Cost Sharing for Military Retirees Who Are Not Yet
Eligible for Medicare

They can be found on pages 173 - 178. I found, in reading the specifics, a cynicism which is particularly loathsome. For instance, in the discussion of Option 96:

An advantage of this option is that greater cost sharing would increase TFL beneficiaries’ awareness of the cost of health care and promote a corresponding restraint in their use of medical services. Research has generally shown that introducing modest cost sharing can substantially reduce medical expenditures without causing measurable increases in adverse health outcomes.

After that little salve for their consciences, they admit:

Among its disadvantages, this option could discourage some patients (particularly low-income patients) from seeking preventive medical care or from managing their chronic conditions under close medical supervision, which might negatively affect their health.

You think!

There, in writing, is how much they think of their veterans. They're willing to risk your health in order to save a few dollars and pass them over to other federal programs.

And for you retirees who are not yet eligible for Medicare (like me), the same cynicism is evident in Option 97 as well:

The option would reduce DoD’s outlays in three ways. First, the increased fees would be used to directly offset the costs of treating military retirees. Second, the higher out-of-pocket costs would induce some retirees who would otherwise have used TRICARE to enroll in a civilian health plan instead. Third, the higher copayments and deductibles would reduce the use of health care services by military retirees who remained in TRICARE.

It's all there for anyone to read, and you and your families are the target. They have numerous options listed to expand health care coverage for those who haven't earned it, but for those who have - well read the excerpts if nothing else, to see how they plan to treat you.

For all the lip service that Congress and Democrats have given over the years about taking care of our veterans, there, in writing, are the only options being presented in the CBO's list of all options for healthcare - reduce the promised veteran retiree benefit.

I suggest you take BG Clement's word to heart and flood Congress and the Department of Veteran's Affairs with letters and emails telling them that these options are unacceptable and should taken off the table now. Like he said, saying it once is not enough - keep the pressure on until we're assured that the benefits our veterans have earned are kept at the level they were promised.

Ellie

[DocGreek]

Ellie....cutting V.A. health benefits, would only lead to a "Peoples Revolution"! It would be cheaper, to bring ALL of our troops home, and let other countries, fight for their OWN freedom!!.....SEMPER FI.....Doc Greek

[nvusmcsgt]

Options To Limit Your Benefits
Posted By McQ



For all the lip service that Congress and Democrats have given over the years about taking care of our veterans, there, in writing, are the only options being presented in the CBO's list of all options for healthcare - reduce the promised veteran retiree benefit.



Ellie

Well if I remember correctly it was Bush and the Republicans that wanted to lower or ever take away our troops combat pay. McCain also did not want to support a bill that would pay for a service members college completely after they get out. Be careful. The Republican say they are for our military but when you really take a look at it I dont really think they are. They want to spend a lot going to war but they do not want to take care of our service member when they get back or get out.
Just something to think about.

Semper Fi

[thedrifter]

Subject: Tricare-for-Life on OMB Chopping Block

If you know of anyone who is Retired Military, please forward this on to
them.
Attachment is provided for your easy access, link to original document is
also provided below.

I don't know how many of you partake of the Tri Care for Life program but
here is a very interesting note on the subject. Seems as though our
President Elect has placed a priority on cutting it out of the budget as a
means to provide funding for those things he promised during the campaign.
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. I would ask that
you contact your elected officials and register your strong opposition to
the elimination of this program. Just another move to slight those of us
who dedicated much of our adult lives to the defense of our country. Thanks
for listening.

Heads-up from BG Bob Clements, USAF Ret (P38 Bob) The following has been
added to the Congressional Budget Office Web Site for those who have never
opened one of these web sites from OMB :
1. double click on the above URL http://www.cbo.gov/ 2. On lower left, under
Budget, Options, Volume 1: Health Care
(http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=9925)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 behindand 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 eligibleretired military have. It is short of the promises
made that we fought so hardfor back in the late 90s and early 2000s but it
is still the best healthcareprogram that anyone in the United States has,
bar none.People who are professionals always look for the channel of least
resistancewhen it comes to cutting money out of the Federal and DOD budget.
I can tellyou this straight on, military retirees are one of those channels
of leastresistance noted for sitting around, doing nothing, and waiting for
ole Joe todo it for them. You had better wake up. Your medical benefits are
primetarget. If you lose them, you have nobody to blame but yourself. Let me
repeatthat... you have nobody to blame but yourself.The way to secure your
benefits is to write to your members of Congress and tokeep writing and
writing and writing. ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH!! Keep repeating theabove statement
until you are blue in the face.Now I'm going to make one more statement to
all of you younger people outthere who are not yet eligible for Tricare for
Life. HEALTH CARE WILLEVENTUALLY BECOME THE DOMINATING FACTOR IN YOUR LIFE.
Remember that... it willimpact you big time with the utmost in cruelty
unless you are fortunate enoughto die from a heart attack... or get run over
by a truck.Now, I am going to attach AGAIN exactly what OMB has in store for
militaryretirees using TFL. This source is directly from OMB and is not
something thatI have dreamed up. They are telling you exactly what they are
going to do withyour benefits. If you do nothing, this is what you will
get.The service organizations will put up a fight and are aware of this and
willput up a fight but, they will need your help and can't do it by
themselves. Ihope 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 if you
will readthe attached document closely you will see that in spite of the
MTFs (MilitaryTreatment Facility) need to get patients back to keep their
doctors busy andthe hospitals from going to clinic status, these people from
OMB would employa means to keep retirees from using MTF facilities by
charging them a fee forservices. How dumb can you get.Even if you are an
Obama lover, and believe that changeth cometh, TFL optionfrom OMB will not
go away. They need the money they spend on you for otherprograms for people
who produce nothing but votes to keep their boss inoffice. "chk6... bob"
================================================== ==========================
=======A footnote: BG Bob Clement is known with affection as"P38bob". He
flew P38s inWWII. He was one of the stalwart warriors that led effectively
from the frontwhen the hard battles were being fought to bring Tricare for
Life to reality.I was honored and pleased to be a player in that effort by
following P38 Bob'slead. (in those days I was known as MilVet99)MilVets: it
looks like we will again be confronted by the 'attack of thebeancounters'
who, by and large, wouldn't know (and probably never willknow)genuine
unselfish service to our country and are solely motivated bycrunching
numbers so that those numbers will reflect favorably on their bossesand
their boss's causes. They have no thought to the havoc they wouldcause...
in many cases the loss of any amount of TFL benefits would be a
aninsurmountable hardship... and to some it would truly be a death
sentence.It is well that we gear up for the fight now. As P38Bob says, we
must write,write, write and write. Once is not enough! In time I will be
preparingletters for your use in writing to your elected officials and
submitting themto the TREA Membership, and to others who may want to join
the fight.Them Beancounters haven't seen anything until they've see a united
and angeredgroup of MilVets. Lets do it and git 'er done!!! Your comments
and inquiriesare welcome.Fred Langston, President (2008), Legislative
Affairs Chair, Greater San DiegoChapter 128, The Retired Enlisted
Association (TREA), fglangston@yahoo.com

Ellie