Pentagon Wants Vets To Pay More For Health Care

[SoCalDem]

http://www.npr.org/2011/03/16/134602785/Gates-Suggests-Raising-Pentagon-Health-Plan-Premiums

March 16, 2011

In the battle on Capitol Hill over federal spending cuts, one targeted group poses a particular quandary for Republicans and Democrats alike: working-age military veterans.

Many are enrolled in Tricare Prime, the Pentagon's managed health care program for retired service members. Since Tricare began 15 years ago, its beneficiaries have never had a hike in premiums. They pay $460 a year — about one-tenth what other federal employees pay.

Now the Pentagon says it's time for a change.

An 'Unsustainable' Arrangement

Defense Secretary Robert Gates went to Capitol Hill last month to make the case for boosting the fees. Something has to be done about the Pentagon's annual health care costs, he argued, noting that they've more than doubled over the past decade to $52.5 billion. Gates said the fee for Tricare Prime family coverage should be raised to $520 a year — an increase of $5 a month.

snip

[northoftheborder]

1. Well, they can stop beginning new wars, first.

[Jackpine Radical]

2. Maybe they could just euthanize the vets once they've outlived their usefulness.

Sounds like a good Republican solution to me.

Support the Troops--sure (but once they're out, they're no longer troops, right?)

[Wait Wut]

3. They don't support the troops.

Before my kid joined the Marines he was pretty far left (more than me, actually). 5+ years in Okinawa, still left. The past 2 years in CA put him right of center. Until recently.

After constantly battling the bullshit from his teabagger Marine buddies, I started sending links. He found one on his own that compared Democratic support of the troops to Republican and also showed everything that Pres. Obama has done for our servicemembers. He shared it with his buddies and said now none of his friends associate with the teapers. And...thankfully...he has stopped referring to himself as a "right leaning Independent" and now calls himself a left leaning Independent. I promise to convert him fully when we take our family trip to San Francisco this summer. :D

The best part? I no longer get drunken weekend calls from my son, "MOM!!! John said Pres. Obama is getting rid of the Marine Corps!!" and other similar teaper madness.

I can't take all the credit, however. His amazing, awesome, wonderful, totally fantastic Okinawan wife had a huge part in this. The look on his face when she looked up at him and said, "What? You don't read? Go Google." when he was spewing some right wing verbal diarrhea cracked us all up. The good husband he is...he did as he was told.

[whathehell]

5. Great post!...Keep up the good work! n/t

[walldude]

4. They pay? Are you fucking kidding me?

And now we want to make them pay more? This is insanity. Now they are going after soldiers?

Sorry but when your job is to go off to some foreign country and GET FUCKING SHOT AT I think your medical care should be FREE. And anyone who disagrees is a fucking idiot who should have to go learn first hand what combat is like.

[remember2000forever]

6. They Don't Want Any Group To EVER Get A Good Deal !

[chill_wind]

7. DLC thinktankers proposed this to the deficit commission:

• Raise military health care premiums and deductibles, for a savings of $6-8 billion
annually.

One of Will Marshall's testimony portions for the DLC/Third Way/New Dems (whatever they're calling themselves these days).

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=569194&mesg_id=569201

From main thread:
There Is No Economic Justification for Deficit Reduction
by James K. Galbraith

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=569194&mesg_id=569194