Our Military Heath Care Is Again Under Attack!





Our Military Health Care is Again Under Attack

Take <http://capwiz.com/usdr/utr/1/HUNOKPKAJX/AKOUKPKATV/3435577276>
Action!






Again, Military Health Care is under attack: You are already aware of the
Congressional Budget Office "Budget Options, Volume 1: Health Care," issued
December 2008 which offers possibilities for controlling federal spending.
The previous USDR alert was issued January 7 and had very good response.
Again the Administration is looking to make cuts in its spending. While the
CBO options are not mandatory, with national health care being an Obama
policy priority, so what better place to find the money than military health
care for both active duty and retirees? Here are the CBO options:



Option 95: Fees for active duty families

Dependents of active duty members enrolled in Tricare Prime, the managed
care network, would pay new fees equal to 10 percent of the cost of health
services obtained either in military treatment facilities or through
civilian network providers. Total out of pocket costs would be capped.

To help offset these costs, dependents would receive a $500 non-taxable
allowance annually. Those who elect to use alternative health insurance,
not Tricare, could apply the $500 toward their health insurance premiums,
co-payments or deductibles.

Those not opting for Prime would still incur the higher deductibles,
coinsurances, and copays of Extra and Standards.
Currently, Military Treatment Facilities (MTF) do not charge active duty
family members and retirees copayments for medical services or
pharmaceuticals. This could change.

CBO estimates these fees would save $7 billion over 10 years and encourage
Prime enrollees to "use medical services prudently." It also would entice
more spouses to enroll in employer-provided health plans instead of Tricare.
The downside, CBO said, would be financial difficulties for some Prime
enrollees despite the cap on out-of-pocket costs. Also, CBO said, spouses
induced to rely on employer health plans could see health coverage
interrupted during military assignment relocations.



Option 97: Tricare for working-age retirees

Fees, co-payments and deductibles would be raised for retirees under 62 to
restore the relative costs paid when Tricare began in 1995. Tricare Prime
enrollment would increase from $230/year to $550/year. Retiree family costs
would increase from $460/years to $1,100/year. Co-pays for doctor visits
would increase from $12 to $28 and users of Tricare Standard and Extra would
pay an annual deductible of $350/individual and $700/family. This option
presents a possible savings of $25 billion over 10 years. Congress has
declined to support such increases for the past three years.



Option 96: Tricare-For-Life fees

The military's health insurance supplement to Medicare could see higher user
costs. Under this option, TFL would not cover the first $525 of yearly
Medicare and would limit to 50% of the next $4,725 of Medicare costs. Thus
extra out-of-pocket costs for TFL users would increase to $2,887.50/year.
This amount would be indexed to rise with Medicare costs. The change would
save $40 billion over 10 years. But CBO concedes that such increases might
discourage some patients from seeking preventive care or proper management
of chronic conditions. So it could negatively affect some patients' health.






This 'Take Action Alert' is provide by courtesy of US Disability Retied
Association (USDR)





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