RE: http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,183138,00.html

I realize the Government has nothing to do with the pay scale of our Professional ball players.

Our country has a group of men and women that serve(d) their country with diligence, placing their lives on the line so that we can enjoy our freedoms. Yet when it comes to pay issues, who's the first group to get hit? The military! I don't see Congress offering to give up their D.C. apartments and offices or to forego a pay raise in an effort to curb the spending crunch.

Nope lets raise the medical services cost for our military men and women. This groups pay scale is not even close to private sector, yet they get asked to sacrifice, suck it up and drive on.

I say it's time to bring home our military and lets send the ball players over there for a while. Afterall they can afford it!

Stan Jaros
Little Rock, AR

Lets not send the Ball Players either. We need to send the Government Beuacrats that have all the "free perks" as it is. Make those sleezy suckers pay their dues like the rest of the Americans that serve and work for their country. Washington makes me sick.

Since retiring in 1980 from the Navy thinking I had health coverage come to find out the area of New Jersey where I live no Doctors would accept Tricare so therefore I did not have the health care coverage I thought I had. Therefore I have had to make sure any job I got offered health insurance. Even when I was self employed I had to buy my own insurance. Now that I'm over sixty five I'm still having to work to keep the benefits or pay for Medicare supplment insurance. Tricare was such a poor payer is the reason doctors did not want to take it. I did at one point convince my doctor to look into but Tricare never returned their calls.
So now you want to charge more for a service that is not available to people who should be receiving this coverage from the get go.
Give me a break.

Reading an earlier post, it seems that some would have us believe that the only veterans promised "free health care for life" were those that served 60+ years ago. Well...guess what...when I enlisted in July 1980, my recruiter promised me the exact same thing...FREE health care for life. Yeah...and for that, I've been paying Tricare Prime premiums since I retired in 2000. Yes...I chose to select Tricare Prime, vs. Standard because "care at military facilities is optimized for Tricare Prime patients."

Others make the point..."but you pay WAY less than civilian counterparts". While true, it still isn't FREE as promised. I know...if it's not on paper, it's worthless. So true!

Another poster mentioned..."hey...if all you retirees jump on the "universal healthcare" bandwagon...we'll ALL be taken care of!"

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I didn't spend 20 years in the military so I could fight for equal health care for all. I earned my "free healthcare for life". Universal health care for everyone pretty much nullifies the health care benefit I thought I earned for 20 years of dedicated service in defense of the greatest country on earth.

It is the same story over and over. Uncle Sam needs people; he makes vast promises to unsuspecting youth. They serve their country during the best years of their lives. The day arrives for Uncle Sam to honor his promises and he has no money.

When I was 20, I never thought I would need the free, lifetime healthcare as promised in exchange for 20 years of military service. Uncle Sam didn't think I would live to see 75 either.

As a retire who will be eligible for Medicare in April, this proposal is going to make me decide if I wnat Tricare for Life or a Medicare supplement. A Medicare suppliment will run between $100 and $150 per month. The proposed Tricare costs could exceed the Medicare suppliment by as much $1600 per year!!! No brainer especially if you have cronic medical conditions.

along with the other complaints i didn't see anything on our illustrious Senators and Representatives when they get the same if not better care at a Military Hospital, how much do they pay for this service. to date i haven't seen them pay a dime for this service along with other government personnel from various parts of Government like the supreme court etc.
how much do they pay????????? and their families? they are all treated like they are in the Military, but do they pay???? they take away from the wounded and other patients that actually deserve the care.

One opition is to keep enlistments to 4 years with no benifits at the end of the 4 years. No problems there ha! The other is live up to your word like a grwn up. Another way is to lie to the enlistes like now. The only thing about socialized Medical, is the government will run it, I think they're doing that now. At some point someone has to pay the uhh insurance company. Things always cost less without the middle man. If doctors and patients were the only people involved, there would be a lot more people alive. The federal government wants it all and they will get it if we sit and do nothing. One way is to stop telling our children what heros they are if they fight for their country. With fewer new recuits, less money spent. Uncle Sam would not like that so they would give the same bull to the next generation and they would be left in the same position we are in. Intigrity (sp) the spelling may be wrong but the concept is lost on our elected officals so the spelling don't make any difference. Until we elect honest people who know and use intigrity we deserve what we have. Don't blame a dishonest person for being dishonest etc: So what we must try to do is force feed honesty, intigrity in what we have. I didn't vote for either of the big two, they didn't have the qualities mentioned above and they will never get it, the voters didn't. I know TMI. time to go
Semper Fi

We were not able to establish careers, buy houses, and build up 401Ks like many civilians, because we moved all over. The wives usually had to take low-paying jobs since employers knew they would be moving. We were promised free health care for life. Now this "free" health care is not available unless we pay nearly $100 a month each for Medicare just like everyone else.
How is that "free"? That's just plain dishonest.

The little remaining that Tri-Care standard will pay is now going to be lowered, even the drug benefit??? We had a hard time finding a doctor who would even take us.

If the government will not keep its promises to its own Vets, what were they fighting for?

I was in the military for a little over twenty years. One of the things that kept me in the service was the promise of benefits. I never imagined the government would deny me what they had promised, after all I was there when theyneeded me and I kept my part of the bargin. Now that I am about ready to retire from the private sector and that retirement fund has being severely reduced, I need all the help I can get. Had I realized back then the government I stood up for and supported during the Vietnam era would deny me in my time of need, I really wonder if I would have stayed in.

Ladies and Gentlemen you are selling yourselves short if you think that the only healthcare benefit that you got short changed out of was free heatlhcare because you were rooked out of free dental care that was promised for life until 1983 when we stopped providing it to retirees. I was the guy that had to explain the new policy set down by DOD that said they could only get emergency dental care and even then nothing of a permanent nature. I was ashamed to tell them and I took a lot of abuse from frustrated vets for morally bankrupt decisions.

I worked at the National Naval Dental Center where cheapskate senators and congressmen came and got free dental care that they were not entitled to because the leadership didn't have the testicular fortitude to turn them away. These bozos that we elect into office draw there full pay for the rest of there natural born days even if they only serve one term don't they? Where is the justice in that when we have to serve a hell of a lot longer to be entitled to anything and then have to fight the VA to get what we are entitled to receive.

Signed,

Cranky and ****ed Off

I have to agree with most of what's already been said. "Most of our current congress has never served in the military.." I'm a disabled retiree, living on a fixed income. Adding to my TriCare costs would create a severe hardship. I imagine there are many other retirees in the same boat. Don't price our medical "paddle" out of availability.

As we all know, I hope, the US goverment gets free health care and gets full benifits after serving one term in congress.
Us ungrateful military has only to serve for 20 years to get any benifits. plus with all of the great things we get, why we do not deserve them at so young of an age. We do not have to honor that agreement to our service members. I did not vote for that it was someone else. So those agreements are becoming nill and void evry day more and more is being taken away from our veterans.
I was a lucky one and was not injured in any conflicts I served in. From Viet Nam through Desert Storm. For me to use a VA clinic I have a 6 to 8 month wait and then I can be bumped for another 4 to 6 months.Great to be a veteran.

You Talk about bailout for haves, and now they talk about the few do nothing and those that lose and turn around and want to raise our health care promised me since 1949. Bail out our health care proior to all others that gave their all when young for our country.

Respectfully.

Martin D. Sosa
Capt/Mgysgt USMC Ret

This is the same game they played when we first
fought for TRICARE. These politicians look out
for themselves. With the money they make, they
should never be allowed to enter a military
hospital or dental clinic. They should buy their own damm health care policy and I mean one
from a commercial source and not thru the
federal employees health plans. They are not
permanent employees anyway.

Honestly, I feel so helpless now. My political representatives are both millionaires and so far removed from the military voters that trying to commutate with them is useless. I have tried in vain. I have given my years of service without hesitation and now I am abandoned. To the enlisted retiree, the retirement pay you can not live on, the BX and Commissary can not compete with Costco or Sam’s Club and are located 80 miles away. BRAC closed the closer ones, and now my health care is going to be more costly than I can afford. I guess I have the VA but what about my bride of 40+ years? That leaves just one retirement entitlement remaining…burial in a national cemetery. I look for that to be attacked next. What can I do? Do I dare encourage anyone to enter the military or stay for 20? Why would anyone think of such a thing today? Honestly, what are my options that are available today? I can hardly walk due to my experiences on the flightline in the 60’s and 70’s, can’t stand for any length of time or walk any distance, or climb stairs. Who would hire me in this condition? Being a WalMart greeter is it and the line for that position is about 3-5 years of waiting. Who is there for us now? Who will listen, who will care, who will stop the errosion of "benefits" of the military retiree now, today? What can be done? What can I do?

Re: comments by Mary ellen Correia:
Vacaville, Ca

So now someone that has friends that spent time in the military and now get to benefit from promises for their service.

This same person wants military beneficiaries to join others to advance the idea of UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE for all Americans.

I recently read about three people that live in countries that have that type of healthcare. Two from Canada and one from england. Both retirees. Those from Canada had tumors. One was told that they had to wait 6 mos for a secound opinion, and then if confirmed another 6 or more months for the operation. He came to the USA, paid for the operation. Was told he would not have lasted the time it would taken under the Canadian Universal Healthcare system.

The other was told the same time line. She was losing her eye sight. She came to the USA, was operated on the next day, and now her eye sight is fine. She also paid for the service. Her claim fro payment under the Canadian Universal Healthcare was denied.

The man in England had the same eye problem. He was told that he had to wait until he lost sight in one eye before he would be able to recieve any care for tha care. He had to take them to court. He did win afetr a very long battle.

These are stories that are very commen in health systems that are controled by the Goverment.

I believe that Rohm Emanual ( not sure of spelling ) has stated that expensive operations should be reserved for only those that are young enough that they will have time to be productive, and restricted form older people will just have to live with what ever problem they have.

Is this realy what these people want for their future.

I truth we already have Universal healthcare. It's called The Emergency Room

Hey Guys, wait until you turn 65 and they force you out of Tricare Prime and you have to sign up for Medicare Part B if you want Tricare for Life. That's when your monthly costs go up. Our so called representatives know nothing about being in the military, but, they sure know how to give away your tax money and call it "distribution of the wealth." Socialisim is knocking on the door.

WHEN I JOINT THE NAVY IN 1949 THEY TOLD ME THAT WOULD RECEIVE FREE MEDICAL FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE IF I RETIRED FROM THE MILITARY WITH MORE THAN 20 YRS SERVICE NOW THAT I'M OVER 75 I HAVE A CO-PAY, IT SEEMS LIKE IF WE TRY TO KEEP OURSELVES IN GOOD HEALTH TO LIVE LONGER WE NOW HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. SFADDEN MICHIGAN