Subject: [mrgrg-ms-talk]
Fw: A reply from Heather Wilson
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 10:06:42 -0700
From: Norman Campbell
<cfcgunnrb29@comcast.net>
I plagiarized part of
General Clement's message to one of his
Senators in California and sent the
following FAX to the entire Congressional
Delegation from New Mexico a week or so
ago. Following this message is the
encouraging answer received from
Congresswoman Heather Wilson. (General
Clements, I hope you don't mind).
"I need your
commitment to oppose this Administrations
plans to triple or quadruple TRICARE fees
for people who served 20 to 30 years of
arduous military service. In thousands of
cases it would mean paying an extra $1,200 a
year more. That's unacceptable treatment for
people who spent a career defending every
American's freedom.
I would like your
explicit assurance that you will strongly
oppose those fee increases and work to
mobilize Congress to do so. Your answer will
be published on military Web sites
throughout New Mexico.
Last year, Congress
rejected an Administration plan to raise
fees for VA health care by $250 a year for
veterans who served as little as two years
in the military. Surely, you can now make a
firm commitment to opposing fee hikes of 4
or 5 times that much for people who spent
decades sacrificing for all New Mexicans and
all Americans
This is a vital issue
to me and thousands of other voting military
retirees and their families. Thank you for a
prompt personal reply.
Norm Campbell
ne obliviscaris - (never forget)
----- Original Message -----
To:
cfcgunnrb29@comcast.net
Sent:
Tuesday, January 31, 2006 9:42 AM
Subject:
A reply from Heather Wilson
Dear Noman,
Thank you for your e-mail message about
TRICARE for military retirees. I appreciate
hearing from you. I had my staff look into
DoD plans and see what we could find out.
The changes in TRICARE outlined in your
message is just one proposal the Department
of Defense is considering. The DoD is
considering other options, including taking
funding from other defense programs to cover
TRICARE costs. In 2001, military health
system spending was about $18 billion; today
it is more than $36 billion. And in the next
four to five years, it is likely that the
total budget will exceed $50 billion. DoD is
considering options for how to handle these
rising health care costs. They have not made
any decisions yet. The President's budget
will be sent to Congress on February 6, 2006
. The DoD may outline its TRICARE
recommendations in the budget. The DoD told
my office that their primary concern is
providing a viable health benefit for active
duty and retired military and said they are
particularly concerned about retirees on a
fixed income.
Congress will take an active role in making
any changes to the TRICARE program. Even if
the DoD recommends additional cost sharing
for TRICARE enrollees, Congress would still
have to act to implement the changes. The
budget that the President sends to Congress
each year is a proposal. The budget must be
approved by both the House and the Senate.
The budget that evolves from the House and
Senate budget process often is different
from the President's proposal. I would
oppose any such increase in costs for
military retirees. We need to protect access
to health care for our military retirees.
I will continue to fight to ensure that our
active duty military and veterans get the
benefits they were promised, the health care
they deserve, and the recognition that our
nation owe .
Again, thank you for contacting me. Please
continue to contact me about issues that are
important to you. While I commute from my
home in Albuquerque to Washington D.C. , for
voting and committee hearings, you can
always check my web site for upcoming
community events to find where you can catch
me around town.
<>Sincerely,
Heather Wilson
</>Member of Congress
|