View Full Version : Tricare is being gutted.
I'm posting this information for the general membership along with current, former and future members of the United States military on this forum. Please read this article (http://freebeacon.com/trashing-tricare/) for additional details and information.
The Obama administration’s proposed defense budget calls for military families and retirees to pay sharply more for their healthcare, while leaving unionized civilian defense workers’ benefits untouched. The proposal is causing a major rift within the Pentagon, according to U.S. officials. Several congressional aides suggested the move is designed to increase the enrollment in Obamacare’s state-run insurance exchanges...
Significantly, the plan calls for increases between 30 percent to 78 percent in Tricare annual premiums for the first year. After that, the plan will impose five-year increases ranging from 94 percent to 345 percent—more than 3 times current levels.
What a ****ing shocker.
Dear President Obama,
We joined because we wanted to serve our country, but we were also promised compensation. You've reneged on that promise Mr. Obama, therefore; we refuse to leave the wire. We refuse to deploy. We refuse to patrol. Fight your own war. Atlas has shrugged.
Signed,
The guys with the hardware.
Mauser KAR98K
02-28-12, 00:27
Unforgivable.
We have asked so much from our guys and gals over the past 10 years. Between a war we didn't start but should aggressively finished without it biting us in the ass, again, and to the unpopular war that we started but left to its own devices--IED's in particular--numb-nuts decides to raise healthcare for our troops, yet leaves the unionized sector alone.
Holy Ape Shit, Batman!
This asshole better not win a second term.
This asshole better not win a second term.
If a lot of guys here have their way, he will.
Disenfranchise the productive few in order to buy the votes of the mindless many. Why change the formula that's been working so far?
OK, this is a tough one because I agree that something has to be done about the cost of healthcare in the DOD budget. As it stands now, it is the single largest expenditure and unsustainable. Tricare is also inefficiently run and many times cutting the budget is the best means to get things under control. At the same time, I don't want to create a hardship for enlisted families living below the poverty line who need care. For example, do you really want to pay for the 23 year old "dependent" who gets Tricare benefits under his parents plan. How about the soldier who keeps coming to the ED (where the cost is highest) to get refills of pain meds instead of going to his TMC where his condition can be monitored. My favorite are the sick call Rangers who come to the hospital to get out of duty - one day it's an ankle sprain, another day it's back pain.
I'd much rather see the DOD start to extricate itself from providing healthcare (at least CONUS) and outsource it to private industry. That means closing all of these Level 4/5 facilities and allowing soldiers to use local civilian hospitals for inpatient care. The VA should also go the way of the dinosore. There would still be clinics and free standing ED's on-post, but I say let the really sick soldiers and vets benefit from civilian medicine. Military docs and nurses would work in selected civilian hospitals (usually the county or municipal facility) where their labor would be focused on caring for .mil, vets, and indigent care. The overhead savings would likely make these cuts in services and increased costs to participants unnecessary.
Lanesmith, do you happen to know how much of that expenditure is allocated to mental health services? That's the first place I'd start cutting. Now, for severe PTSD, I agree that the military has a responsibility to do something, but for the unknown thousands of servicemembers who feel they have to take weekly trips to mental health services? I say cut them loose. Every single soldier I've ever had who got referred to "mental health" was not worth having in the first place, and almost all of them were either kicked out of the unit or involuntarily separated from service for performance issues. I'm not talking about combat veterans who had to talk things over with somebody after they got back for a few sessions. I'm talking about the large percentage of fuzzy right shoulder junior enlisted soldiers who fill these clinics week in and week out for months and years on end. How much does that cost? Why does the military feel the need to coddle these people? Is it a cover your ass thing? Why not just cut them loose?
OK, this is a tough one because I agree that something has to be done about the cost of healthcare in the DOD budget. As it stands now, it is the single largest expenditure and unsustainable. Tricare is also inefficiently run and many times cutting the budget is the best means to get things under control. At the same time, I don't want to create a hardship for enlisted families living below the poverty line who need care. For example, do you really want to pay for the 23 year old "dependent" who gets Tricare benefits under his parents plan. How about the soldier who keeps coming to the ED (where the cost is highest) to get refills of pain meds instead of going to his TMC where his condition can be monitored. My favorite are the sick call Rangers who come to the hospital to get out of duty - one day it's an ankle sprain, another day it's back pain.
I'd much rather see the DOD start to extricate itself from providing healthcare (at least CONUS) and outsource it to private industry. That means closing all of these Level 4/5 facilities and allowing soldiers to use local civilian hospitals for inpatient care. The VA should also go the way of the dinosore. There would still be clinics and free standing ED's on-post, but I say let the really sick soldiers and vets benefit from civilian medicine. Military docs and nurses would work in selected civilian hospitals (usually the county or municipal facility) where their labor would be focused on caring for .mil, vets, and indigent care. The overhead savings would likely make these cuts in services and increased costs to participants unnecessary.
Tricare is the healthcare system for military families, if I'm reading this correctly?
Going on that assumption, this guy won't have a military within a few years. We will end up with a draft again, because of him.
Just as my kids are about to reach draft age, too.
Tricare is the healthcare system for military families, if I'm reading this correctly?
Military families, military retirees and their dependents.
ICANHITHIMMAN
02-28-12, 11:06
He just is not going to stop is he. Man do we have to get rid of this guy
We definitely need to address the federal budget, but picking and choosing among various federal/mil employees seems incredibly unfair, and weakening the military benefits does not seem like an effective way to "save money."
Like it or not, if they want to reduce federal costs, they've got to go after the huge entitlements that affect everybody: Medicare, Social Security. Until now, NEITHER party has shown any willingness to tackle these seriously. Because anyone who does, is definitely going to require courage and to accept the realization that they'll be a one-term sacrificial lamb. But somebody has got to do it to get us back on track, fiscally.
The Obama administration’s proposed defense budget calls for military families and retirees to pay sharply more for their healthcare, while leaving unionized civilian defense workers’ benefits untouched.
Sure, he and his cohorts can count on their votes, military probably not so much. Someone posted here way back, 'If you're not at the table you're on the menu.' I really think that pretty much sums up every aspect of this admin.
He just is not going to stop is he.
Nope..
I do agree with Max to get fiscally back on track. Entitlements are way out of control, I guess that's the cost of buying votes. Personally, I've been self employed since 94 without any support from Sam or anyone else. If we have any benefits, its out of our pocket. I'm way over working 6 to 7 days a week to provide others with essentials we just don't have. I'm over it.
Just another step on the road to single-payer.
Lanesmith, do you happen to know how much of that expenditure is allocated to mental health service?
About $5.8 Billion in FY 2011 was allocated to mental health conditions. To put things in perspective, the total DOD budget is $549 Billion and the Unified Medical Budget is just north of $50 Billion. This number is a little misleading because expenditures for new facilities (hospitals, clinic buildings, etc.) may come from different pools of money outside of this number.
Another issue is the lost work/deployment hours for mental health is a tremendous expense that is difficult to estimate.
After hearing all this, there shouldnt be one swinging dick in the military voting for him. HaHa like that will happen. :suicide:
I have no experience with TriCare so please excuse the stupid questions. I understand that it's for military families, retirees and dependents, right? Is there an exemption to force those spouses, retirees and even dependents to use other means of insurance if it's available or does everyone just get to pile on so to speak? For my company I can have my child on my policy without any "fines" because he has no other options. The wife, however, has to use her own employers insurance or we pay an additional $250/month plus higher deductible is she wants to use my plan. Seems like this could be a way to trim some of the spending if it's not already being done. I know a number of retired military guys go on to complete a second career after the military so they would have access to other means of insurance.
I do agree that this shouldn't be a starting point to reduce spending though. The entitlement programs, pork and other beurocratic wastes of $$ should be hit first. Unfortunately, this has little to do with doing what is right for the country and more to do with making political points to further a persons individual agenda, standing... what not. Everyone has sympathy for the military guys and gals having trouble making ends meet, so they are an effective emotional tool to use on idiot voters. I can already see the speeches " see what that do nothing REPUBLICAN Congress has forced us into. Because of their inability to put partisan politics aside I am now forced to do this to these wonderful men and women. If people would have voted Democrat last time we wouldn't be here now, but you can do something come November.... blah blah blah.". The inverse goes for the other POS party we have. Lot easier to manipulate people using things they care about. Nobody would give a shit if the Welfare rats were cut off at the knees. Hell many people would cheer in the streets and many more would cheer in private.
CarlosDJackal
02-28-12, 15:41
If a lot of guys here have their way, he will.
No shit. I keep hearing and reading people say that he has to go but the same individuals will state that if <insert name of candidate> doesn't get chosen as the candidate, they aren't going to vote or they will vote for a third party who has no chance of winning.
So basically, the same individuals who like to thump their chest and complain about the current POTUS is also willing to help him win a second term. Isn't that a ****ing shme?
I'm posting this information for the general membership along with current, former and future members of the United States military on this forum. Please read this article (http://freebeacon.com/trashing-tricare/) for additional details and information.
I'd like to see how many Department of Education employees would stick around if they were paid minimum wage and locked in their office building for 12 months deployments, then told if they quit or were rifted before the 20 year mark they'd get zero benefits.
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