Wake up retirees and PAY ATTENTION--It's later than you think

From: MRGRG-MS@yahoogroups.com on behalf of Floyd Sears [fsears@bellsouth.net]
Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2006 5:40 PM
To: !CAG/MRGRG e-mail network
Subject: [MRGRG-MS] JCS Endorse Draconian Tricare Fees

Military Retiree Grass Roots Group participants:

This is why we must continue with our lobbying of the Congress via the Brown Bag Project at http://mrgrg-ms.org/history14.html or any other way you see fit. Please note the following comments by BGen Bob Clements.

Floyd

Wake up retirees and PAY ATTENTION--It's later than you think

----- Original Message -----
From: "Brig Gen R. Clements USAF ret"
p38bob@deepwell.com To: AAGEN&ADM; and Undisclosed Key Militarymilitary
Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2006 10:25 PM Subject:
JCS Endorse Draconian Tricare Fees

JCS Endorse Draconian Tricare Fees

The Joint Chiefs are joining the Defense Department in seeking to more than triple annual enrollment fees for officers in Tricare Prime and double the fees for enlisted retirees by 2008. DoD wants Congress to jack up fees for those under-65 officer retirees from $240 a year for individual coverage to $750, and from $450 annually for family coverage to $1,500.

The department wants to raise fees for enlisted retirees under age 65 to $450 for individuals and $900 for families. The deductible for Tricare Standard also would be raised, and an annual enrollment fee would be imposed.

Medicare-eligible retirees also would take a hit, with co payments for retail generic drugs jumping from $3 to $5 and for brand name drugs from $9 to $15 retail and $10 by mail order. DoD claims it needs the money from the retirees to balance the defense budget.

Comment: In plain language, "What a crock of Crap"

chk6 bob

read on... http://www.dcmilitary.com/airforce/beam/11_10/local_news/38928-1.html

Yep, take a look at the population on Bolling With all the "Centers of Excellence" being focused on the East Coast and Texas, one wonders why? I also wonder what happens to all the "Centers of Excellence" being closed by BRAC. With Senator Feinstein's and Boxer's "look the other way" attitude, they have succeed in closing every major military medical treatment facility in northern California with the exception of David Grant Medical Center at Travis. With the focus on San Antonio and Washington DC I wonder about the longevity of that wonderful center also.

The California members of Congress have done very poorly by their military retiree constituents except to give them lip service and canned messages from their staff members. One message fits all..blah blah blah

DOD is dead serious and you had better get serious also....I am happy with MOAA and their
ratcheting up the fight. Others had better get on your respective members of the Military Coalition and tell them to get with it...For instance where is NAUS, where is TREA, where is ROA etc etc etc

chk6 bob