Proposals to Raise TRICARE Premiums Rejected

"...At the same time the House passed a bill requiring civilian federal employees to contribute more to their pensions, lawmakers on the Armed Services Committee rejected the Obama administration’s proposals to increase the amount military retirees pay for their health care insurance.

The committee advanced the fiscal 2013 National Defense Authorization Act Thursday, approving a 1.7 percent pay raise for military service members next year as well as limiting increases to enrollee pharmacy co-pays under the TRICARE program...."

Read more at GovExec.com

Yes to Military Pay Raise, No to Tricare Hikes for Retirees

"...A House subcommittee is prepared to say “yes” to a 1.7 percent military pay raise but “no way” to the Obama administration’s plans to significantly hike Tricare fees for military retirees and their families.

The military personnel panel of the House Armed Services Committee also is unwilling to create an independent panel to recommend an overhaul of military retired pay. Their chief objection: the Defense Department’s demand that the commission’s recommendations be put on a fast track to approval, limiting the ability of Congress to make changes, according to draft legislation unveiled Wednesday.

Headed by Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., the personnel panel is scheduled to meet Thursday morning to pass its portion of the 2013 defense authorization bill, starting a legislative process expected to last until at least Oct. 1, the start of the fiscal year, and possibly longer if election-year politics interfere with details..."

Read more at Air Force Times

Testimony against TRICARE hikes for retirees

"...A House subcommittee expected to vote soon on whether to recommend raising retiree Tricare fees sharply over the next five years heard some compelling testimony against the move Wednesday.

Retired Air Force Col. Steve Strobridge, co-chair of The Military Coalition, a consortium of 34 military associations and veterans groups, traded debate points with Dr. Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, before the armed services panel on personnel.

Strobridge attacked the Obama administration’s premise that raising Tricare fees on military retirees to help balance defense spending cuts in the current budget crisis does not break faith with the force.

“If keeping faith means no changes for today’s troops on retirement, than it’s breaking faith to raise their [health] fees by [up to] $2000. That’s no different from a $2000 retired pay cut,” he said..."

Read more at Stripes

Retirees Troubled by TRICARE Proposal

"...Air Force retiree William "Hack" Alexander said North Texas military retirees are upset about President Barack Obama's proposal to raise fees for Tricare, the military health care insurance program.

Alexander, a retired chief master sergeant, doesn't think the proposal keeps the government's promise to provide medical care for life in return for 20 years of service in the military..."

Read more at Times Record News

Prorated Tricare hikes for military retirees

"...The Obama administration’s proposal for a means-based system for setting military retiree health care fees draws heavily on recommendations from a 2007 task force on military health care adjusted for gross retirement pay.

Proposed enrollment fee hikes for Tricare Prime and a new fee for Tricare for Life would be prorated for retirees based on pretax military retirement income. Under the plan, the fees would rise on a fixed schedule each year until 2016, when they will begin to rise according to a medical inflation index..."

Read more at armytimes.com

GOP questions fairness of retiree benefit cost increases

"...DoD leaders got battered on both sides of the Capitol Tuesday, hearing complaints from Republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate that the military personnel proposals in President Obama's 2013 budget unfairly target the uniformed military, while leaving civilians, both inside and outside of DoD relatively unscathed.

Their complaints centered around two areas: the size of the overall personnel reductions in the coming years, and the Pentagon's proposed fee increases to TRICARE, the military's health insurance system.

"You're recommending increases to the military in terms of health care costs, but it doesn't seem that the President has asked for any increases as far as I can see to the civilian workforce," said Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.). "I think that's a hard ask without asking for sacrifices on the civilian side too." ..."

Read more at federalnewsradio.com

Obama to Cut Health Benefits for Active, Retired Military

"...An Obama administration plan to have military families and retirees pay much more for healthcare, while unionized civilian workers' benefits are untouched, is causing a major rift in the Pentagon, reports The Washington Free Beacon.

The proposal is part of the defense budget's cuts. Several congressional aides say the move may be part of the administration's efforts to increase enrollment in Obamacare’s state-run insurance exchanges..."

Read more at Newsmax.com

More on Proposed RetireeTRICARE fees

"...Out-of-pocket health care costs for military retirees and for users of the TRICARE retail pharmacy network would jump next October if Congress approves President Obama’s fiscal 2013 budget request delivered Monday...

In defending these changes, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, called current TRICARE fees for retirees, nearly frozen since 1996, “an anachronism” the military no longer can afford..."

Read more at stripes.com

Navy Forcing Retirement for 593 Senior NCOs

"...The Navy is forcing 593 senior enlisted members to retire or transfer to the fleet reserve after concluding its senior enlisted continuation board, according to a Navy press release Wednesday.

The number is more than the two previous years combined, and represents one of multiple efforts to pare down a force facing budgetary pressures from the Pentagon and Capitol Hill..."

Read more at military.com

MOAA opposes higher TRICARE fees for military retirees

"...The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) responded to the White House’s Feb. 13 release of FY2013 budget proposals, pledging to resist what MOAA calls “disproportional” increases in military healthcare fees and reductions in military force levels...

MOAA President, Vice Admiral Norb Ryan, Jr. USN-Ret., took particular exception to Pentagon proposals that impose significantly higher enrollment fees and pharmacy copayments for military retirees and their families..."

Read more at prweb.com

Increased TRICARE Costs for Retirees

"...working-age retirees who receive TRICARE would get an enrollment fee for the first time under DoD's fiscal 13 budget submission, and their deductibles would gradually increase over the coming years. A family would pay $140 in enrollment next year under the Pentagon's plan and a deductible of $320, up from $300 last year. Those costs would grow to $250 for the enrollment fee in fiscal 2017 and $580 for the deductible..."

Read more at military.com

Military retiree vs active duty interests in budget debate

"...Military personnel costs for retirees versus active-duty service members are among the “most politically sensitive” competing interests within the fiscal 2013 Defense Department budget process, according to a new analysis from the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments..."

Read more at govexec.com