Say No To Increased TRICARE Fees

Since 03-04-06

From: Waspscpo@aol.com [mailto:Waspscpo@aol.com]
Sent: Saturday, March 04, 2006 8:24 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: Say No To Increased TRICARE Fees

 

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Say No To Increased TRICARE Fees

Say No To Higher TRICARE Costs Take Action!
 

Message to the House of Representatives:

As one of your constituents, I am writing to urge you to OPPOSE the Administration's proposals to:

1) establish enrollment fees and increase annual deductibles for TRICARE Standard -- without any commitment to a higher level of service;

2) increase enrollment fees for TRICARE Prime;

3) raise retail pharmacy co-pays by 67% for all military beneficiaries. These are absolutely unfair and unwise -- especially during a time of war.

All of these are included in the Administration's FY2007 Defense budget request and it is clear to me that they are nothing more than an attempt to shift the costs of health care to military retirees.

Historically, military retirees have been the best recruiters for our armed services. And now, at the very time the services are facing a recruiting crisis, the Administration wants to start taking away promised and earned benefits from military retirees. Frankly, this makes no sense to me whatsoever.

The fact is, military retirement and medical benefits are the primary "rewards" for enduring decades of extraordinarily difficult service conditions. That means they must be better than those offered to civilians.

It is the willingness to make the sacrifices that are required of military personnel that is, in reality, the unique contribution military members make toward their special retirement and health benefits.

If the same inflation adjustments to military retirement pay had been used to determine the proposed increases in TRICARE Prime enrollment fees, the proposed increases would have been less than half those now sought by DoD. Likewise, for TRICARE Standard the fees would be only one-third of those now proposed by DoD. And clearly the 67% increase in retail pharmacy co-pays sought by DoD far exceed the inflation rate.

The DoD proposals are nothing more than an attempt to shift costs onto the backs of military retirees and I am absolutely opposed to them.

I ask you, as my Representative to also oppose them, and I request that you respond to this correspondence with your position on this issue.

  Please send this information to your Senators and Representatives.  Tell them that you do not want them to support higher fees for TRICARE.

 

Message to Senate:

As one of your constituents, I am writing to urge you to OPPOSE the Administration's proposals to:

1) establish enrollment fees and increase annual deductibles for TRICARE Standard -- without any commitment to a higher level of service;

2) increase enrollment fees for TRICARE Prime;

3) raise retail pharmacy co-pays by 67% for all military beneficiaries. These are absolutely unfair and unwise -- especially during a time of war.

All of these are included in the Administration's FY2007 Defense budget request and it is clear to me that they are nothing more than an attempt to shift the costs of health care to military retirees.

Historically, military retirees have been the best recruiters for our armed services. And now, at the very time the services are facing a recruiting crisis, the Administration wants to start taking away promised and earned benefits from military retirees. Frankly, this makes no sense to me whatsoever.

The fact is, military retirement and medical benefits are the primary "rewards" for enduring decades of extraordinarily difficult service conditions. That means they must be better than those offered to civilians.

It is the willingness to make the sacrifices that are required of military personnel that is, in reality, the unique contribution military members make toward their special retirement and health benefits.

If the same inflation adjustments to military retirement pay had been used to determine the proposed increases in TRICARE Prime enrollment fees, the proposed increases would have been less than half those now sought by DoD. Likewise, for TRICARE Standard the fees would be only one-third of those now proposed by DoD. And clearly the 67% increase in retail pharmacy co-pays sought by DoD far exceed the inflation rate.

The DoD proposals are nothing more than an attempt to shift costs onto the backs of military retirees and I am absolutely opposed to them.

I ask you, as my Senator to also oppose them, and I request that you respond to this correspondence with your position on this issue.