mrgrg-ms-talk - Digest Number 1124 - 6 messages in this issue

mrgrg-ms-talk - Digest Number 1124 - 6 messages in this issue

Since 04-03-06

From: mrgrg-ms-talk@yahoogroups.com [mailto:mrgrg-ms-talk@yahoogroups.com]
Sent: Monday, April 03, 2006 2:51 AM
To: mrgrg-ms-talk@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [mrgrg-ms-talk] Digest Number 1124

There are 6 messages in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

1. Fw: HR 602, Keep Our Promise Bill - Need more evidence of Un-Representative Government?

From: "Jean D. Beard" <dale98@tampabay.rr.com>

2. FW: S 484 - Health Care Premium Conversion for Civlian Retirees and Military Retirees

From: "J. R. Santos" <saintjim@earthlink.net>

3. Fw: Higher TRICARE Fees Hotly Debated, Coolly Received...COMMENT

From: "Jean D. Beard" <dale98@tampabay.rr.com>

4. [Fwd: Higher TRICARE Fees Hotly Debated, Coolly Received...COMMENT]

From: Floyd Sears <fsears@bellsouth.net>

5. [Fwd: [mrgrg-nation-wide] Re: [VVB-Forum] FW: lonestargrp: Fw: Higher TRICARE Fees Hotly Debated, Coolly Received...COMMENT]

From: Floyd Sears <fsears@bellsouth.net>

6. [Fwd: Re: [Brown-Bag-Participants] Responding to your message]]

From: Floyd Sears <fsears@bellsouth.net>

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Message: 1

Date: Sun, 2 Apr 2006 12:56:19 -0400

From: "Jean D. Beard" <dale98@tampabay.rr.com>

Subject: Fw: HR 602, Keep Our Promise Bill - Need more evidence of Un-Representative Government?

Please read Col. Harry Riley's: Reference the letter from Rep Tanner D-TN to Floyd Baird.....at the (*) below. Harry's reply will be faxed to my Reps, etc. tomorrow, with my endorsement.

Thanks Harry.

"If It Weren't For The United States Military"

"There Would Be NO United States of America"

Jean

Jean D. Beard

Surviving Spouse of: Wiley M. Beard (USAF Ret.)

E-mail: dale98@tampabay.rr.com

Military Retiree Grass Roots Group (MRGRG) FL-11

The Brief story behind "MRGRG": http://mrgrg-ms.org/briefing-c.pdf

The Complete story behind "MRGRG": http://mrgrg-ms.org/

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----- Original Message -----

From: Harry Riley

To: CecilThyme@aol.com

Sent: Sunday, April 02, 2006 11:52 AM

Subject: Re: HR 602, Keep Our Promise Bill - Need more evidence of Un-Representative Government?

Don,

By all means, use it........I'm sure going to enlighten them in faxes

tomorrow........

Harry

"The bedrock of our very "freedom and liberty" rests on the love of Christ

and sacrifice of our warriors and spouses."

Take a look at www.presidentbushblog.com

See Destin, FL live at http://www.destinpasslive.com

----- Original Message -----

From: "Don Rehwaldt" <CecilThyme@numail.org>

To: "Harry Riley" <hmriley@cox.net>

Sent: Sunday, April 02, 2006 10:07 AM

Subject: Re: HR 602, Keep Our Promise Bill - Need more evidence of

Un-Representative Government?

Excellent summation! A copy of your letter should be sent to EVERY Representative and Senator to help them realize that their inconsistencies are viewed by their constituents almost immediately. No more hiding with snail mail and infrequent letters to their people. Most often, after decisions have been made! If you don't mind, its going to my Senators and Representative.

Don

* Reference the letter from Rep Tanner D-TN to Floyd Baird.....(below)

You know what makes Rep Tanner's observations even more bizarre, astounding, perplexing, but perhaps reflects clearly the diabolical nature of Congress..... it's the omission in Mr. Tanner's letter.........and I'm sure he didn't purposefully omit what I see as mind boggling for the average American.

The omission: Chairman Shaw of the Subcommittee on Trade and Chairwoman Johnson of the Subcommittee on Health are both cosponsors of HR 602.

Also Ron Lewis, R-KY and Mark Foley, R-FL are cosponsors of HR 602 on the Trade Subcommittee; also Democrats William Jefferson D-LA, John Tanner D-TN, John Larson D-CT and Jim McDermott D-WA

Six of the 15 Trade Subcommittee members are cosponsors, to include the Chairman and it can't be brought up for consideration?

Moving to the Health Subcommittee, the Chairwoman, Nancy Johnson is a HR 602 cosponsor as well as Democrats John Lewis, GA, Lloyd Doggett, TX, and Rahm Emanuel, IL. Four of the 13 members are HR 602 cosponsors but one of them is the Chairwoman.........

Just a few days ago we had a sad and disgusting twist when all 22 Republicans in the U.S. House Republican Budget Committee voted to support DoD TRICARE fee increase. Explain this: Rep Chet Edwards, D-TX has introduced a Bill, HR 4949 which if passed will block any attempt by DoD to increase TRICARE fees.

HR 4949 has 118 cosponsors as of March 31, 2006 and guess who two of the cosponsors of HR 4949 are? You guessed it, two of the Republicans, Rep Thaddeus McCotter R-MI and Rep Jeb Bradley R-NH of the U.S. House Budget Committee are both cosponsors of HR 4949 but voted to side with DoD TRICARE fee increase in the House Budget Committee vote this week.........they are for it but also against it? Sounds like the Kerry vote on the Gulf War...flip-flop is evidently contagious...also points up to me the uselessness of cosponsor status...mean nothing beyond patronizing constituents...another gutless tactic.

Now the leaders of two Ways and Means Subcommittees (Trade and Health), who are both cosponsors of HR 602, one of which wants to be Chairman of the powerful Ways and Means full committee (Clay Shaw) and neither will bring HR 602 to the table.

This is horse manure and smacks directly of unfettered, unbridled personal control by the U.S. House of Representatives leadership...it is un-American, reflects Gestapo/authoritarian tactics, eliminates representative government, free discussion, and I feel sure has our founding fathers spinning in their graves.

Maybe Shaw (Ph 202-225-3026, Fax 202-225-8398) and Johnson (Ph

202-225-4676, Fax 202-225-4488) need to be buried in phone calls and fax paper? Maybe Hastert also (Ph 202-225-2976 Fax 202-225-0697) All we're asking is a fair hearing...

We can vote them out, but you know what? The next bunch will fall into the same pattern in a few weeks after arriving in Washington, D.C.

Harry Riley

"The bedrock of our very "freedom and liberty" rests on the love of Christ and sacrifice of our warriors and spouses."

Take a look at www.presidentbushblog.com

See Destin, FL live at http://www.destinpasslive.com

----- Original Message -----

From: Floyd Sears To: !MRGRG e-mail network
Cc: fmbaird@sbcglobal.net
Sent: Sunday, April 02, 2006 12:56 AM
Subject: [MRGRG-MS] [Fwd: [Brown-Bag-Participants] Responding to your message]

My Groups | MRGRG-MS Main Page

Many thanks to Floyd Baird for this pass-along from Congressman Tanner. The message from Congressman Tanner confirms what we suspected. HR 602 is on the congressional committee merry-go-round.

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-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [Brown-Bag-Participants] Responding to your message Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2006 13:24:17 -0800 (PST)
From: Floyd Baird <fmbaird@sbcglobal.net>

FYI:

With the Republicans in charge looks like we are going to get it stuck to us again... It will take a miracle to get HR-602 passed. It just goes from committee to committee, at least Rep. Tanner is honest, well about this anyway...

Floyd Baird

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Congressman Tanner <tn08ima.pub@mail.house.gov> wrote:

From: "Congressman Tanner" <tn08ima.pub@mail.house.gov>
To: <fmbaird@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Responding to your message
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2006 16:10:57 -0500

March 31, 2006

Mr. Floyd Baird

2032 Hills Street Flint, Mi. 48503

Dear Mr. Baird:

Thank you for contacting our office regarding the Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act (HR 602). Your input is valued and much appreciated.

HR 602 would provide Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage to any military retiree, family member, and un-remarried former spouse of a military retiree who was married to the retiree during the required period of service. It would also extend FEHB to a dependant of a living or deceased military retiree.

On February 2, 2005, HR 602 was referred to the House Committees on Armed Services, Government Reform, Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means, as you mention in your letter. In the Ways and Means Committee, the bill was then referred to the Subcommittees on Health and Trade, where it awaits further action.

As a co-sponsor of this legislation, I would like to see the bill move along the legislative process. Unfortunately the Republican leadership controls what legislation moves through the committee, and it's clear they have no intention of scheduling any action on this key bill. Despite this, I will continue to urge the Republican Chairman of the Committee to schedule a hearing or markup on HR 602.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts on this important legislation. I look forward to hearing from you again in the future.

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[This message contained attachments]

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Message: 2

Date: Sun, 2 Apr 2006 12:29:05 -0700

From: "J. R. Santos" <saintjim@earthlink.net>

Subject: FW: S 484 - Health Care Premium Conversion for Civlian Retirees and Military Retirees

-----Original Message-----

From: USDR (Uniformed Services Disabled Retirees)

[mailto:saintjim@earthlink.net]

Sent: Saturday, April 01, 2006 6:37 PM

To: USDR (Uniformed Services Disabled Retirees)

Subject: S 484 - Health Care Premium Conversion for Civlian Retirees and

Military Retirees

Thank you for using USDR (Uniformed Services Disabled Retirees) Mail System

Message sent to the following recipients:

Senator Feinstein

Message text follows:

James Santos

XXX Saratoga Avenue, Apt. #X-B

Santa Clara, CA XXXXX-YYYY

April 1, 2006

[recipient address was inserted here]

Dear [recipient name was inserted here],

I request that you join with Senator Barbara Boxer in her support for S.484.

I ask for your active support of military retirees and cosponsorship of S 484 as introduced by Senator Warner (VA). S484 permits (1) Federal civilian retirees to pay Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and and military retirees to pay TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis (i.e., exclude premiums from gross income); and (2) provides a tax deduction (available to itemizers and nonitemizers) for TRICARE supplemental premiums or enrollment fees.

S484 also directs the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Secretary of Defense to assure that the option of paying FEHBP and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis is available to Federal civilian and military retirees for the first open enrollment period beginning not less than 90 days after the enactment of this Act.

Please advise me regarding your intentions with respect to this important legislation.

Respectfully,

James R. Santos, MS

408-331-3145

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Message: 3

Date: Sun, 2 Apr 2006 17:10:14 -0400

From: "Jean D. Beard" <dale98@tampabay.rr.com>

Subject: Fw: Higher TRICARE Fees Hotly Debated, Coolly Received...COMMENT

Pass along from Jim Whittington. Read and Heed.

Jean

"IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE U.S. MILITARY THERE WOULD NOT BE A UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" QUESTIONS?

Jim Whittington--MSGT--USAF--RET

----- Original Message -----

From: "jimw8869" <jimw8869@megagate.com>

To: "jimw8869@megagate.co" <jimw8869@megagate.com>

Sent: Sunday, April 02, 2006 3:55 PM

Subject: Fw: Higher TRICARE Fees Hotly Debated, Coolly Received...COMMENT

"IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE U.S. MILITARY THERE WOULD NOT BE A UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" QUESTIONS? Jim Whittington--MSGT--USAF--RET

To all: Please pass this to all list and give MAX DISTRIBUTION. About two weeks ago, we thought that DOD was backing off the increase in Tricare Fees. Not so.We cannot let our Guard down. I urge you to RE-READ the Tom Philpott article (below) and especially the COMMENTS at the bottom by Gen. Clements. I fully agree with Gen. Clements. Chu and Winkenwerker are nothing more than LAPDOGS for Rumsefld and this Administration. I would sincerely hope that the Former Service Surgeons Generals would not disgrace their Service to the Country by allowing themselves to be DUPED into this scheme.

The current Joint Chiefs have endorsed this plan to raise the fees for Tricare for those under age 65. I would encourage not only the Former Service Surgeon Generals to come out openly and oppose this but all the Retired Admirals and Generals need to openly oppose this scheme to balance the budget on the backs of the military personnel they once commanded. What say General/Admirals?? Don't sell us down the river.

I urge all of you on my extensive list to fwd this. This topic will be voted on very shortly and time is of the essence. This is not a Republican or Democrat issue--this is a non partisan issue and both parties needs to understand that passage of Tricare Increases for personnel under age 65 will DIRECTLY AFFECT RECRUITING--RETENTION AND READINESS. In addition it is the right thing to do.

Jim Whittington MSGT--USAF--RET

622 West 21st Street

Laurel,MS. 39440

----- Original Message -----

From: "Brig Gen R. Clements USAF ret" <p38bob@deepwell.com>

To: <Medcare>; <AAGEN&ADM>; <Undisclosed Key Military>; <military>

Sent: Saturday, April 01, 2006 9:30 PM

Subject: Higher TRICARE Fees Hotly Debated, Coolly Received...COMMENT

TRICARE Hotly Debated Tom Philpott | March 30, 2006 Higher TRICARE Fees Hotly Debated, Coolly Received http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,92725,00.html Ignoring the intimidating props - boxes of angry letters from thousands of military retirees -- senior Defense officials and military leaders appeared March 29 before a contentious House subcommittee to make their case for hiking TRICARE fees sharply for under-65 retirees and their families.

In the verbal sparing that ensued, Pentagon leaders gave as good as they got. But no lawmaker took the role of referee. All threw punches on behalf of retirees, and treated with kid gloves a second panel of witnesses representing dozens of pro-retiree military associations and veteran groups.

The Pentagon's plan to boost out-of-pocket TRICARE costs for three million beneficiaries, to include a tripling of managed care enrollment fees for retired officers and a doubling for senior enlisted retirees, seemed to shatter some traditional alliances and form new ones.

Republicans and Democrats together questioned the realism of projected cost savings from raising TRICARE fees and the wisdom of doing so in wartime. The active duty four-star officers in the room spoke in support of the increases. Retired officers led the opposition.

David S. C. Chu, under secretary of defense, and William Winkenwerder Jr., the Pentagon's health affairs chief, reminded the armed services' subcommittee on military personnel that, since 1995, TRICARE benefits and the beneficiary population have grown, program costs have soared, yet TRICARE fees have remained the same. They portrayed it as a bureaucratic oversight that now needs correcting. Otherwise, military health costs, which have doubled since

2001, could double again by 2015.

Defense leaders were joined by the vice chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps who echoed the contention that a prized benefit will be difficult to sustain unless fees are raised.

"For 11 years we have not done just service to this benefit, in that we failed to index" TRICARE fees and co-payments to inflation, said Adm. Robert F. Willard, vice chief of naval operations. Benefit enhancements, rising medical costs nationwide and a widening disparity between TRICARE cost-shares and private health insurance premiums have led to a migration of working retirees and their families back into TRICARE.

That recent shift, said Chu, is encouraged by civilian employers, some using cash incentives, hoping to trim their own healthcare obligations.

Indexing TRICARE fees to medical inflation back in 1995, said Willard, "would have prevented the current crisis that we find ourselves in."

But Rep. Vic Snyder (Ark.), ranking Democrat on the panel, challenged Willard use of the word "crisis."

"A crisis implies we're not going to pay for anything. We're going to pay for health care for our men and women in uniform, and retirees. We're going to sustain the program. The question is how.and right now there's not a lot of.enthusiasm for the method you all have proposed," Snyder said.

He also questioned department hand-wringing over the widening disparity between TRICARE fees and private health insurance premiums.

"We want there to be a disparity because that's part of what we give for people turning their life over to us 24 hours a day," said Snyder.

Snyder referred then to comment from Gen. Robert Magnus, assistant Marine Corps commandant, in defense of the higher fees, that TRICARE would remain the "gold standard" of health plans.

If that's true, Snyder suggested, migration of retirees will continue despite higher fees because "people are going to jump from the silver standard. They're going to jump from the copper and bronze standard."

"The issue is.can we sustain the gold standard," said Chu. "What happened in the last 10 years is we polished the gold standard to a very high luster. The result is that private companies and state governments are trying to shift their appropriate medical costs to the Department of Defense."

To the charge the planned fees would climb too far and too fast, Chu said another way to look at them is that for 11 years, "our beneficiary population has enjoyed a relief from indexing."

Defense officials estimate the higher fees will save $11 billion by 2011. The assumptions are that 144,000 current users will decide to leave TRICARE and another 350,000 beneficiaries, who would have shifted to TRICARE if fees stayed frozen, will stay with their private sector plan.

What the estimates really mean, said Snyder, is that 500,000 retirees don't agree that the increases are modest, as Chu suggests.

Chu said younger retirees should be willing to contribute more to sustain the program and "to deal with the [employer] cost-shifting issue."

"Usually when a product improves people are happy to help contribute to the cost of improvements," Chu said. "And that's what we're asking here."

Retired Navy Vice Admiral Norbert R. Ryan, Jr., testifying on behalf of The Military Coalition, a consortium of service associations, called the planned fees "disproportional and inappropriate."

Ryan said he was surprised to hear uniformed leaders take "a sky-is-falling approach" to TRICARE costs. The greater danger to an all-volunteer force, during a long war, would be raising future health care costs for careerists facing their second or third wartime deployment, he suggested.

Snyder asked if the firestorm over TRICARE fees could have been avoided if officials pushed for a more modest change, perhaps to adjust retiree TRICARE fees in the future by the percentage rise in military retired pay each year. Ryan said he couldn't be sure that wouldn't anger retirees.

Retired Army Maj. Gen. William M. Matz, speaking for another group of associations, the National Veterans Alliance, said it was "astounding" to hear the Pentagon explain a cost-saving plan intended to discourage thousands of retirees not to use their earned benefits.

For a detailed chart showing the proposed TRICARE Fee changes visit www.military.com/TRICARE_Chart.

To comment, e-mail milupdate@aol.com, write to Military Update, P.O. Box

231111, Centreville, VA, 20120-1111 or visit: www.militaryupdate.com

How do you feel about this action? Let your public officials know how you feel! http://capwiz.com/military/issues/alert/?alertid=8588571

Sound Off...What do you think? Join the discussion.

About Tom Philpott

Tom Philpott has been breaking news for and about military people since

1977. After service in the Coast Guard, and 17 years as a reporter and senior editor with Army Times Publishing Company, Tom launched "Military Update," his syndicated weekly news column, in 1994. "Military Update" features timely news and analysis on issues affecting active duty members, reservists, retirees and their families. Tom also edits a reader reaction column, "Military Forum." The online "home" for both features is Military.com.

Tom's freelance articles have appeared in numerous magazines including The New Yorker, Reader's Digest and Washingtonian. His critically-acclaimed book, Glory Denied, on the extraordinary ordeal and heroism of Col. Floyd "Jim" Thompson, the longest-held prisoner of war in American history, is available in hardcover and paperback.

...............................................

Comment: Well, if my experience with the Pentagon serves me right, the next step will be for Dr. Winkenwerder and Chu to enlist the aid of the former service Surgeon Generals in the effort by Secretary Rumsfeld to raise Tricare fees for their former patients who are military retirees , family members, and their survivors.

How much simpler it would be, Mr Rumsfeld, just for you to ask for the additional funding in your annual budget request to the President. From all of the Congressional responses and the intent of Congress in the NDAA 2005 to fund the additional money, wouldn't that be a morally sustainable approach to avoid requesting honorable men to sell their fellow retirees down the river?

How much energy (resources) are you, Dr. Chu, et al, willing to spend to prove you are right but ultimately end up losing the battle because you are wrong.

What you are doing "Is Not The Right Thing To DO"

My personal Signature chk6 bob

"If It Weren't For The United States Military" "There Would Be NO United States of America"

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[This message contained attachments]

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Message: 4

Date: Sun, 02 Apr 2006 22:39:09 -0500

From: Floyd Sears <fsears@bellsouth.net>

Subject: [Fwd: Higher TRICARE Fees Hotly Debated, Coolly Received...COMMENT]

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Message: 5

Date: Sun, 02 Apr 2006 23:18:27 -0500

From: Floyd Sears <fsears@bellsouth.net>

Subject: [Fwd: [mrgrg-nation-wide] Re: [VVB-Forum] FW: lonestargrp: Fw: Higher TRICARE Fees Hotly Debated, Coolly Received...COMMENT]

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Message: 6

Date: Sun, 02 Apr 2006 23:52:46 -0500

From: Floyd Sears <fsears@bellsouth.net>

Subject: [Fwd: Re: [Brown-Bag-Participants] Responding to your message]]

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