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Military.com Forums Sound Off! Tom Philpott Benefits Column - Sound Off! Employer-Paid TRICARE Plans to End|
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Basic Training |
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Basic Training |
Let's see...I'm retired Army and I get TRICARE for $460.00 a year which covers my entire family, with a co-pay of $12.00 a visit, and 6.00 for a prescription.
If I use my employers insurance, it's $200.00 a month to cover my family, plus a co-pay and prescription costs... Decisions, decisions.... |
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Basic Training |
Lets see for about 7 years I took the company insurance at about $200 a month, now its that a pay period. No they didnt tell me to go to tricare, I did it on my own, bought my own supplement until the company offered a supplement for me to pay into, so I did. Remember we were told health care for life remember! anyhow now its just me and wife and I get tricare she gets medicare, tricare as the 2d dary!
I got a letter the other day that the company funded portion of the supplement is being dropped but that we could enroll in another supplement, no price as of yet! If they get their way we wont be elegible for anything pretty soon! What BS |
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Member |
Exactly right.
There are a few o us who have been screaming about this for a couple of years, if not longer. And now that there is another round of cutbacks and alternative plans coming out soon, it will only get worse. WHOSE idea was this? WHO proposed the legislation in the 1st place? WHO signed it into law? WHO will continue to cut benefits for Veterans - if we do not elect new faces to the congress, new VETERAN faces? It won't be Democrats. |
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"You can't hide in the past, but you can't run from the future" |
LMAO!!! I am not surprised! Another government fiasco that was pressed into service without running the TRUE numbers first. Oh well, back to the drawing board!
Watching our government in action is a lot like watching Willy Coyote trying to catch the Road Runner with his many contraptions only to fail in one effort and spend more money on another fruitless ACME idea that works just about as good as the last. MEEP MEEP!!!  |
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Basic Training |
I have been retired for over 20 years. My wife and I have been using TRICARE PRIME since it started. We have always been well taken care of and all prescriptions cost $3.00 for Generic and $9.00 for name brands. My wife now enjoys the extra freedom of TRICARE for life and is able to go to any doctor that handle TRICARE and MEDICARE and no copay. Anybody who stay on TRICARE Standard needs to consider changing to PRIME. By the way my wife has had two major back surgeries in two years and we never had to come out of pocket one red cent.
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Posting privilege's removed until you contact me. Silent_Surface Hot Topics Moderator |
Your's and my benefits at work guys.
GET PISSED, GET REALLY PISSED!!GET PISSED, GET REALLY PISSED!! Our promised benefits continue to erode. The military fraternal organizations are headed by a good ol' boys group of colonels and generals who are more interested in their well paid "retirement" jobs than getting us what we deserve. You don't get anything from government using honey. You get in their faces like every other successful group. The good ol' boys however think they are above that---they are "retired" general officers and are gentlemen (of course none of this concerns them with their high pensions and contractor/frat organization "retirement" jobs. What compensation did we get when they closed bases so many of us have no access to those benefits? NONE! Dental care lost, now we pay for insurance that is costlier than medical itself. Cost of prescription meds continue to increase and many are moved to the third tier not in the formulary. Do you think any of this will improve?????????? Time to GET PISSED and get in these politicians faces and make the current force familiar with how they'll be screwed if they stay to retirement. Instead of asking for what we were promised---it's time TO DEMAND!!! |
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Basic Training |
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Member |
 I get the definite feeling that the present admin in washington really deep down in their little black neocon heartless chests and anarchists minds hate us all with a vengance and passion. Its all about money for them and nothing for us. Willie Winkle, Rummy the bummie, and David Chuhu along with Bushbooby are shoveling money away for them and screw us. If anyone thinks I disrespect Bush, you bet your arse I do, and so do most of the retirees that I know. He has been proven to be a bald face liar and down in his little oily heart is looking out for oil companies and contractors and himself. Theres not a dang thing that we can do about it. They are like the admin in Myamar, shoot first and silence the opposition and tiptoe down the tulip way while they destroy whats left of this shambles of a country. So ban me, I had to get it off my chest, damn I'm pissed at my corrupt govt.  |
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Basic Training |
I'm wondering when my company was going to tell me this. I use Tri-Care prime with the supplement that I pay a small amount for so that I don't have any co-pays. It also allows me to get the company Vision Care plan since we automatically get that when we choose any of the health care options the company offers. If they take away the supplement I also lose vision care and Tri-Care only pays for an exam every two years and nothing else. This plain old BS.
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Member |
Color me confused
 Color me hurt  But most of all Color me ****ing MAD as in totally ****ing Pissed  I am sick to death of the lying, two faced, back stabbing, do nothing, Govt. Reps. (thats both sides of the aisle, the speakers podium, all the way up to the current residents of the White House (thats the PEOPLES House by the way)) Correct me if I'm wrong but it seems on this deal that the Govt. makes out, the Employers make out, and once again the we lied to retired lifers take at right square in the old wazoo, no lube, no reach around, and no kiss.Thanks again Repubs--Dems--Cons--and Libs You're alllll a bunch thankless good for nothing pieces of cat scat. End of fire mission end of rant. History Marker 7 OUT!!!! |
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Basic Training |
I switched companies last year, and was told by Tricare, that the company ins plan would be primary and tricare secondary. I pay $90/month for company plan with copays and $500 deductible, and tricare std picks up the copays/coshares and deductible. I don't even have to file with tricare - thank God. The only thing I pay is the $90 monthly premium - still not the guaranteed medical care for life that we were all promised, but better than anything else i can find. Additionally most Rx are free--most Walgreens determine the cost share between company and Tricare. So far out of 10 Rx this year, i've paid $3 for 2 of them. I don't pay for tricare std and don't have a supplement.
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If a tree falls in a forest and lands on a politician, even if you can't hear the tree or the screams, I'll bet you'd at least hear the applause. Paul Tindale  |
For those not in the know, better check what you pay for commercial health insurance and TRICARE Prime. For those young enough, and in excellent health, the price sfor Prime can't be beat. Downside is that TRICARE Prime pays 10% less than MEDICARE, so a lot of providers do not want to see you for anything complicated. Plus, list of providers is small. However, when you are sick or injured, a doctor is a doctor, so the old bs claims against this is that you can't see the doctor of your choice. Choice? If you really want that, get the commercial health insurance plan, pay through the nose, and still must deal with their rules and regulations.
For those who have had health issues, like me, a supplement is a God send. I have MediPlus through MOAA. See chart. They also have supplements for TRICARE Standard. Retired TRICARE Prime Supplement (per month) Member or Spouse Age Nonsmoker Smoker Under 50 $7.35 $7.72 50-54 $11.22 $11.78 55-59 $13.25 $13.90 60-64 $16.94 $17.79 Each Child $9.56 Last hospitalization would have bankrupted me. Major surgery (at McDill, no cost), 2 weeks at St. Joes ($95,000) and 9 weeks in a convalescent hospital ($525.000). My cost? Zero. If you do not qualify for MOAA, check out the other military related organizations, NCOA, USAFSA, etc. They should have similar health supplements. My only grip with MOAA is they no longer support eye exams. Bummer! Have a good day!~!   |
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Basic Training |
About the time we get back something we lost years ago, it's gone again. Uncle gives and takes it away.
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The Reason I Won't Quit  |
This borders criminal if you ask me! Here we are all fired up about the Pres. vetoing a bill to increase health insurance to kids of parents who can afford it, but CONGRESS is taking MORE health benifits from retired VETS??????????
What are we coming too? Why have I not heard a great out poor on this from our neoliberals on here???? Oh, because they can't bash Bush over it! hmmm... We ALL need to contact our reps in the house and Senate, NOW!!! This message has been edited. Last edited by: ArmyBratGoesWild, |
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The Reason I Won't Quit |
WOW last I checked it was Congress that passed this issue! why you blaming everyone else??? |
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Basic Training |
This is beginning to smell worse and worse. Anytime that guidance is not published in a timely fashion, you can just about bet that we are in really deep trouble.
I hope that we will be able to continue our medical covereage by paying no higher rates than our employers are paying. |
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Basic Training |
Regarding the previous posting in reference to MOAA's Mediplus tricare supplement low monthly rates, the author failed to mention that those quoted rates do NOT include retiree inpatient and outpatient coverage. MOAA Mediplus offers coverage for inpatient and outpatient, but at a higher rate than what is quoted in the previous post, and with $150-$300 deductibles per person. Check out http://www.moaainsurance.com/. My point: MOAA Mediplus tricare supplement, albeit affordable, does not come close to the 100% tricare supplement my employer provided to me for free.
Regarding those that are so happy with Tricare PRIME, I'm glad it works for you. But I put a premium on choosing my doctor, especially when seeking a specialist. All doctors are not equal. Tricare Standard allows me to choose my doctor. But those opinions aside, the point of this discussion is that the govt is eroding our benefits. I served 20 years, and I earned TRICARE coverage. If my employer decides to pay for the supplement, that's between me and my employer. The gov't should not interfere. My affordable options for next year: 1) I pay the supplement premiums myself, 2) I pay what STANDARD does not pay, or 3) I switch to PRIME (but the gov't carries more of the health cost burden). Regardless of which option I choose, either the gov't or I get screwed. All this new law accomplished was save my employer money. |
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Basic Training |
The 3rd paragraph aove is where I am at.
I was on tricare prime before I signed up here. My employer was paying for the supplement. Now, I pay have to pay, and pay... I will not be leaving tricare becuase of this since the cost is still lowerer than the cheapest offering from my employer. The supposed "savings" of $700 million by 2011 will ot materialize. But I am sure my employer appreciates the savings. My pay raise was just bove the cost of living. Now, becuase of this, I am in the hole! Thank you, Congress! MSgt USAF (retired) Taxpayer and Voter! |
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Basic Training |
How does eliminating a benefit offered by a private employer save the Department of Defense health care dollars? Does someone in the Defense Department believe that I would drop my TRICARE benefits and opt to pay over $3,600 (plus co-pays) per year for a civilian health care plan?
This law will only serve to increase the government's financial burden for military health care programs as retirees who previously enrolled in the less generous TRICARE Standard program, switch to TRICARE Prime to offset the costs of the higher payments they'll be forced to make for TRICARE supplements. |
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Military.com Forums Sound Off! Tom Philpott Benefits Column - Sound Off! Employer-Paid TRICARE Plans to End
