Advocates oppose health care copayment hikes

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Subject: Advocates oppose health care copayment hikes

Advocates oppose health care copayment hikes

By Rick Maze
NavyTimes staff writer
8 December 2005

Major military associations are appealing to Congress to prevent increases in health care copayments and fees for service members and retirees. The Military Coalition, a group of 36 associations representing 5.5 million active, reserve and retired service members and their families, is concerned about the Pentagon’s recent announcement of an 8.5 percent increase in premiums for Tricare health coverage for reservists.

“The changes will go into effect next month, without any discussion or opportunity for congressional review or oversight,” the Coalition says in a Dec. 8 letter to Congress. “Guard and Reserve members and families who have been putting their lives and civilian careers on the line deserve better.” Coalition members question whether defense officials are looking to kill the Tricare Reserve Select health care plan, launched over Pentagon objections and after a long delay.

“The program is barely getting off the ground, and the department already is imposing a significant cost increase on members and families,” the Coalition letter states. While the Tricare Reserve Select program is the immediate concern, military associations worry that this is part of a continuing effort by the Bush administration to shift more health care costs to beneficiaries.

The Coalition “believes strongly that the [Defense] Department needs to expend greater effort on reducing health costs by eliminating inefficiencies in administration, contracting, and procurement, rather than simply proposing such significant cost-shifting to beneficiaries,” the letter states.