Tricare defends fee hikes in face of $708m surplus
Yeah, about that whole not balancing the federal budget on the backs of veterans thing, Tricare admitted that they have a surplus now, but they still want fee increases recommended by Leon Panetta’s Defense Department, according to the Stars & Stripes;
Instead, in the first six months of the fiscal year, private sector health costs grew at “historically low rates,” according to budget documents. The rate was only 0.6 percent for active duty. More surprising, private sector care costs for retirees, their families and survivors actually fell 2.7 percent.
As a result, the health program has a $708 million surplus, which the department wants to “reprogram” into other accounts to cover higher than expected fuel prices, the unscheduled deployment of a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East, and higher transportation costs tied to Pakistan’s closure of the main land route for U.S. supplies into Afghanistan.
So, apparently, retirees are supposed to pay to deploy an aircraft carrier? What fuel price increases does Tricare have? Well, besides the fuel costs that retirees incur when they drive to the facilities. And there wouldn’t be any fuel price increases if we drilled our own resources.
But these ideas [Tricare fee increases] will be raised again as Defense officials continue to argue that, unless fees increase, additional force cuts will be needed.
So, basically, they’re just pitting retirees against the active duty force.
So, how long are veterans supposed to be “giving” to the country, and especially the little ingrates who are working at the Pentagon who see no problem in raiding the money we put into our healthcare so they can deploy aircraft carriers. Don’t get me wrong, I want to see more aircraft carriers deployed to the Middle East, but not on the backs of veterans.
“I was surprised,” [Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.)] said in a phone interview. “Because the information we had been provided is that the reason for increasing the Tricare premiums, up to 365 percent … is ever increasing health care costs. As it turns out, there really is a downward spike in health care costs.”
I’m surprised that no one noticed until now.
Category: Veteran Health Care
I warned all my fellow retirees when they first started talking about Obamacare, that we would be hit with a massive increase. I’m sad I was right.
Are all y’all are suprised why?
@1: How does this have anything to do with the Affordable Care Act? The full provisions don’t even go into effect until 2014.
to cover higher than expected fuel prices
I guess it WAS unexpected in DC that biofuels cost more?
The Navy is being used as last resort for biofuels at $26 a gallon compared to regular JP8 at $3.60 per gallon. Obama’s failing alternative fuels industry “green energy” needs to be saved at all cost. Its currently on life support thanks to gov’t subsidies (the tax payers). Navy (not wanting to upset POTUS BO) stupidly expanding use of biofuels which cost 7 times more than plentiful conventional fuels and cry rising fuels prices? Oh, wait this will bust the Navy’s budget? OK, lets think…hey what about them 2 million or so retirees just sitting around out there – how abouts we tap them for cash? Hey brother can you spare a couple billion dollars or 5 or 10?
Yes folks, TRICARE hikes are to subsidize Obama’s green energy bullcrap which nobody is buying at $26 a gallon – except idiot U.S. Navy. Just pass on the cost to the lowly retirees who are just leeching from poor DoD.
When will Romney weigh in on the Obama policies of taxing Military Retirees and cutting Guard pay?
Shameful. The only word that may be spoken in polite company with ladies present is shame.
*Cover your ears, those of a mild disposition, because I am about to let loose some blue air*
Those pansy assed little political fairies in the Washington Puzzle Palace who crawl after their political masters in a vain attempt to curry favor need to be tarred, feathered, and run out of town on a rail. Straight into the friggen ocean with millstones hung around their necks.
The fact that the lapdogs of political expediency have chosen to sacrifice men and women much better than them on the altar of political correctness is, as my old platoon sgt used to say, as wrong as two dicks in a room full of nuns.
I would say that it will be ok, but with the exception of LTC West in the House, (he will always be LTC to me because of the high respect I have for him), I do not trust those in the halls of Congress to defend the promises that were made when we were young.
Jonn: I saw this a day or two ago, but since you’d written on the subject repeatedly in the past I intentionally gave it a pass. Figured you should have priority based on past work.
Ben: health insurance costs have seen a significant uptick since the AHCA (AKA “Obama’s Socialized Medicine Act” AKA “Obamacare”) came into effect. Coverage has already been broadened (e.g., adding 4 years of coverage to young adults), which adds significantly to costs for insurance companies; they’re simply passing along this cost to the consumer. Remember: insurance companies are not charities; they exist to make money.
It’s also added a huge degree of long-term uncertainty to their pricing model (many insurance firms have long-term financial investments; major changes in mandated coverage wreak havoc on their investment planning). This effect also tends to raise prices as they make conservative (e.g., financially more pessimistic) assumptions regarding their costs in the future. At present many insurers are strongly considering leaving the market and/or have cut back on the policies they write, thus reducing competition in the insurance market. Ditto for employers, many of which are considering dropping health insurance as a part of their benefits package and instead paying the penalty under law (that’s generally cheaper for a company than offering coverage, actually). This also adds to the upward pressure on the price consumers pay for health insurance, as employers often greatly subsidize the cost of their employees’ group health insurance.
Tricare can’t drop coverage, since Tricare coverage is mandated by law for those who qualify. So they have to continue to pay the increased costs under Obamacare regardless. The proposed Tricare cost hikes are IMO just another manifestation of this effect.
What am I not seeing? Aircraft carriers? Transportation costs? Rising fuel? WTF?
It makes about as much sense to have retirees et al paying for aircraft carrier fuel as it does for those places where smokers pay for children’s health care programs.
In other words it makes no sense. But when has big gubmint ever been accused of having any sense?
@ #7 agree 100%. Taking TRICARE surplus to pay for some other program. Hey this sounds like our Social Security surplus over the years. Crappy Congress critters.
Write to your representatives! I cannot stress this enough. Its easy to bitch on a blog or website, but do something positive. I have contacted my reps in Alabama on many occasions and it does help. Active duty, this is what you have to look forward too. It will only get worse if you don’t take action.
As a retiree, I have been following this issue since my retirement in 2008. First it was the payments to providers being cut by the Pelosi/Reid led Congress with a monthly vote to delay the cuts until June of 2010 when Pelosi extended the delay until after the 2010 election. Every month that happened and the vote was even delayed until late in the month or until after the expiration of the previous bill with the new one being retroactive. Now this movement which will guarantee that eventually, especially if Obama is reelected and the makeup of the Senate is not changed this election, that all of us will end up in some other form of Obamacare where his and his cohorts favored contractors will end up administrating all health care insurance. Look at Express Scripts to be in charge of ALL drug plans.
One thing is that the article above has ONE error in it and that’s the error of saying that this pits retirees vs Active Duty troops. Well that’s true if we’re talking solely about unmarried troops with no dependents. It is not true when we talk about Sgt Snuffy in Afghanistan who has a wife and 2 kids back in CONUS depending on TRICARE for their treatment. This is especially applicable to our guard and reserve brethren. This is an assault on all in uniform not just one group of people on one of the roles of the services (Retired Reserve), and should be approached as such.
I know the list is incomplete, but hell, leave additions in comments: An Incomplete list of Obama’s anti-Military legacy: http://?waronterrornews.typepad.com/ps/?2012/08/?obamas-anti-military-legacy.htm?l
[…] still steams me August 6th, 2012 The other day I wrote about the Obama Administration’s plan to raid our (retired military veterans’) Tricare funds to pay for shit that they can’t plan to […]
Wow, my wife was just told we can’t go to our 20 week ultrasound without a doctor’s letter with medical justification. I guess with their 700mil surplus they just can’t afford to tell me the sex of my baby. Just like they wouldn’t test for Down Syndrome. For years I paid into Tricare and never used it, I gladly paid whatever fees they asked of me, and now that we’re having a baby abroad they’ve been nothing but a pain in the ass…