May 19, 2009
Are Democrats Planning an Attack on Military Retiree Health
Benefits?
Thomas D. Segel
While the Obama Administration loudly proclaims that it has a mandate to make
health care available to every American, a move is underway by the Democrats,
through the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to effectively reduce such care
for some of the most vulnerable of military veterans.
Legislation has already been prepared that will drastically change and reduce
the Tricare for Life benefit plan that assists military retirees over the age of
65.
The Tricare for Life plan was established by law after a decades long fight to
make the government live up to its promise to provide earned health care to
military retirees and their dependents, who had faithfully served their nation
for more than 20 years. Though a battle on this issue traveled all the way to
the Supreme Court, it was determined that the Armed Forces of the United States
did in fact promise lifetime health care to career service personnel, but did
not have the authority to make such promises. Congress was admonished to take
corrective action.
The end result was only half a loaf. Congress agreed to provide a supplement to
Medicare for those military retirees above the age of 65. That supplement,
titled Tricare for Life, would cover any additional costs not paid by Medicare.
However, the retiree would still be required to enroll in Medicare and accept
the services that program offered.
Many of these retired military veterans were in desperate need of these medical
services when the law was enacted. Those needs continue today. These men and
women, many of whom suffer the after effects of combat related wounds, illnesses
associated with everything from Agent Orange to the Gulf War Syndrome and
multiple ailments inflicted upon them during years of military operations on
foreign shores, are among our most vulnerable senior citizens.
This appears to mean little to our new administration and a majority
congressional membership that campaigned for election and reelection on the
backs of the leftist anti-war, anti-military faction of this country. Now with
an almost unstoppable majority in the legislative branch of government, they are
seeking to severely alter a medical service previously awarded to a very
deserving body of retired service personnel, because, according the CBO, these
retirees "overuse" their health care program. There seems to be no thought given
to the fact that these particular senior citizens are more medically impaired
than the average American of similar age.
The CBO is now seeking passage of their draft legislation that would require
these retired military personnel to pay the first $525 of medical cost and 50%
of the next $4,750 per person. They claim these changes are needed to help pay
for the other programs the President has promised his constituents.
Such a change will effectively end the Tricare for Life program that has offered
comfort to those who spent their lives defending the nation. Anyone who has worn
the uniform of this country should voice their concerns to their elected
officials about this legislation.
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributor Thomas D. Segel lives in Texas and
contributes to Right Side News.
You can find this online at: http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.3283/pub_detail.asp
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