RE: http://www.military.com/featur...15240,197017,00.html

TRICARE FOR LIFE'S FUTURE....
TRICARE For Life was instituted to correct the broken promise that military retirees would receive free healthcare coverage for life and it covers the Medicare co-pay. Now a heavy assault has begun on Veterans'/Retirees'
benefits to pay for other programs our President promised during the campaign. An it is a high priority of his administration. The one item of most interest to Retired Military is in Article 189. If approved by Congress
the first assault wave would hit in 2011 and would hit hard. It would initiate cost sharing to require retirees to pay the first $525 of medical cost and 50% of the next $4,725 for a first year cost of $2,888 per person. It would be indexed to increase with inflation. A reason given for this action (for PR effect) is "overuse" by Retiree s.

For those of you who are covered by TFL you will want to pay attention (Below) to what BG Bob Clements has surfaced about the future of TFL.
In any case, on page 189 of the Congressional Budget Office report, see the note below on how to get to that spot, there is a strong recommendation to eventually eliminate the program as it is too expensive. Just another move to slight those of us who dedicated much of our adult lives to the defense of our country. Heads-up from BG Bob Clements,USAF Ret(P38 Bob)
The following has been added to the Congressional Budget Office Web
Site www.cbo.gov/
a. Budget, Options, Volume 1: Health Care
(www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=9925)
For those who have never opened one of these web sites from OMB :
1. double click on the above URL
2. click on PDF
3. click on the binoculars
4. do a search for TFL
Now here it is folks and I will guarantee if you sit around on your behind and do nothing about it as they bring these options forward this coming year, you will lose one of the best healthcare benefits that the Medicare eligible retired military have.It is short of the promises made that we fought so hard for back in the late 90s and early 2000s but it is
still the best healthcare program that anyone in the United States has, bar none.
People who are professionals always look for the channel of least resistance when it comes to cutting money out of the Federal and DOD budget. I can tell you this straight on, military retirees are one of those channels
of least resistance noted for sitting around, doing nothing, and waiting for ole Joe to do it for them. You had better wake up. Your medical benefits are prime target. If you lose them, you have nobody to blame but yourself country.
To show you how stupid these professionals can be at times just read the data on the noted sites closely. You will see that in spite of the MTFs (Military Treatment Facility) need to get patients back to keep their doctors busy and the hospitals from going to clinic status, these people from OMB would employ a means to keep retirees from using MTF facilities by
charging them a fee for services. How dumb can you get.
Even if you are an Obama fan, and believe that changeth cometh, TFL option from OMB will not go away. They need the money they spend on you for other programs for people who produce nothing but votes to keep their boss in office.

WHY does anyone believe this SHEISTER?

The current president is the biggest BAIT & Switch artist in my 50 years of living. I understand that promisses often have to be broken due to changing conditions.... But nothing has changed in this country from when this CLOWN was running.... and he has Broken (or is floating trial balloons to break) every single guarantee he made to Americans. This man has ties to corrupt Chicago businessmen and politicians.... I understand that Americans wanted change..... but I did nto expect them to want to Change to Socialist, nor did I expect the Change that would be accepted from the gov't to be that Americans would be left with three quarters. two dimes a nickle and a penny from their paycheck following paying Barak's henchmen for the things that he is giving you.
THIS man has a HHS secretary who stated "Americans just do not know what is good for them" When she was asked about the Healthcare bill. HUH? My Gov't is going to tell me that their STEALING of my right to choose my healthcare options is good for me? Sounds a lot like what the Soviet Union used to PUSH on their people.

Look at HR3200 and let your representatives know how you feel before they push this stuff through. Right in one of the sections (I believe it is 101 or 102) it states that "IF" you are not covered by an APPROVED insurance product on the day before Y1 (Term for the date it starts) that YOU are not allowed to go with any option but the "PUBLIC OPTION". Later when it discusses the insurance companies liabilities, and sales it states: Insurance companies are "NOT ALLOWED TO RECRUIT NEW MEMBERS FOLLOWING Y1" SO how do you decide that I do not like what Mr Obama has forced cdown my throat and make a choice to go elsewhere? YOU CANNOT! Furthermore it has a paragraph that states that "Should you lose your insurance in this terrible economy you immediately become a member of the EXCHANGE or the Public Option". The other paragraphs have told you that you cannot leave the PUBLIC OPTION for a private version.... SO you are now a WARD of socialized medicine.

YOU NEED TO READ THIS BILL- and MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!

THEY ARE TOO TAKING AWAY OUR RIGHTS AS VETERANS... After 22 yrs of service, and always "Loving" returning to my home- I am actually considering moving out of this country. I did not defend a Socialist Nation, and I wil not live in one.

quote:

WHY does anyone believe this SHEISTER?

The current president is the biggest BAIT & Switch artist in my 50 years of living. I understand that promisses often have to be broken due to changing conditions.... But nothing has changed in this country from when this CLOWN was running.... and he has Broken (or is floating trial balloons to break) every single guarantee he made to Americans. This man has ties to corrupt Chicago businessmen and politicians.... I understand that Americans wanted change..... but I did nto expect them to want to C

If we wanted to listen to Bill O'Reilly cry, we could change the channel to FOX.

By the way? Almost EVERYTHING has changed since his election, and the cleanup from GW BUsh has only just begun. I would sure like to see YOUR list of "Bait and Switch" topics he has defaulted on.

Care to list just #3?

quote:

THEY ARE TOO TAKING AWAY OUR RIGHTS AS VETERANS... After 22 yrs of service, and always "Loving" returning to my home- I am actually considering moving out of this country. I did not defend a Socialist Nation, and I wil not live in one.

And by the way... you most certainly DID defend many socialist nations, IF you served in our military, which is allied with almost every single socialist nation on the GLOBE... and you have been living in a Socialist country your whole life. It's called The United States of America.

Ever hear of Social Security, Medicare, Food Stamps, The G.I. Bill... surely you MUST have heard of that one ... ?

Problem: If we believe ANYTHING Obama say, we're fools.
He has lied about (or obscured) virtually everything he is / has been involved in during his entire life.
We STILL do not have a birth certificate or any college records showing his nationality or place of birth.
We have the bail-out / Porkulus bill, putting our nation in more debt than we have ever been, US ownership of industry and banking and now the great proposed Obamacare. When will it stop??
Thank you for reading, comrades.

I have to confess my ignorance on this one Guesser and ask for a little help to understand. From the article, it would seem the President is promising a better level of health care, and promising to deliver it at affordable rates. That doesn't appear to suit, but for the life of me I can't understand why. In Britain, nobody thinks about health care. You pay that National Insurance contribution, and the health care, everything from the doctor, prescriptions, to major hospital stays, operations, etc., is delivered FREE at source. You pay a small charge for prescriptions, and that's it really. Now as I understand it, the President's proposals across the board fall far short of a system like we've got here. But they do promise to deliver better care, cheaper, or certainly at no extra cost. So why the complaints, unless, and it's possible I just don't understand the legislation, so enlighten me please, that is not the case. But it does seem that at least on the surface, the President is trying is dead level best to keep his promises. So, why the complaints?

quote:

Problem: If we believe ANYTHING Obama say, we're fools. He has lied about (or obscured) virtually everything he is / has been involved in during his entire life. We STILL do not have a birth certificate or any college records showing his nationality or place of birth.

A complete FALSEHOOD. Name #3 things that he has lied to you about. Just #3.

And If you haven't seen the ACTUAL certificate, (even published on FOX the other day), then you are not looking and/or don't want to. It is a fool's errand of a topic, and you believe it.

quote:

We have the bail-out / Porkulus bill, putting our nation in more debt than we have ever been, US ownership of industry and banking and now the great proposed Obamacare. When will it stop??
Thank you for reading, comrades.

The PORK bill was 1st handed down by BUSH, and most of it (almost $800 BILLION, cxalled "TARP"?) has YET to be accounted for, because it went straight to the BANKS.

I am not yours or anybody's "Comrade", and the search for a national health care program started during the 1940's and has continued through every Presidency ever since. It will NOT stop, until we get it... which even the Republican leadership says is just a matter of time now... no matter how much that upsets you.

Now then, those three lies?

Give it up Demille, I understand the stuff came out awhile back, but didn't suit the people who wouldn't believe it anyway because they don't want to. Just a question: Did anybody ask Walker to produce his bonafides, or Johnson, or Nixon, or whoever? What about George Washington, how can we be sure he wasn't really a British Agent?

BTW, great to have the old format back.

At least I'm glad he finally addressed TRICARE specifically. Still don't know if he can be trusted to do what he says. There have been to many miscalculations and broken promises by this administration. On everything from unemployment predictions to tax increases and transparency, this administration has given me reason for grave concern. The administration will argue that it hasn't raised income taxes, yet it has raised other taxes on products and services that effect many of us. As for transparency, it seems they rush bills through so fast that very few have a chance to read them and even less know specifically what is in these bills until after they are passed. And of course the biggest question I now have is did he leave the door open by saying that health care is sucking up SecDef Gates' budget and is a huge problem? I don't know. But I do know one thing for sure. This will be one bill that I will be watching closely.

quote:

What about George Washington, how can we be sure he wasn't really a British Agent?

No kidding. In fact he served in the British Army for several years. Think about how THAT would go over, with the "Birthers"??

This is just their latest lunacy. When these people are finally shouted down in shame, they'll simply make up another lie and try to hold up the business of an entire nation because of it.

It is stupid, but that's all they got.

quote:

At least I'm glad he finally addressed TRICARE specifically. Still don't know if he can be trusted to do what he says. There have been to many miscalculations and broken promises by this administration.

Specifically, what broken promises...?

quote:

The administration will argue that it hasn't raised income taxes, yet it has raised other taxes on products and services that effect many of us. As for transparency, it seems they rush bills through so fast that very few have a chance to read them and even less know specifically what is in these bills until after they are passed.

Right... the Congress now has one full month to read the bills, (which ALL of them have already done) and answer questions from their constituents. But if they have NOT read these bills, then they would be totally incompetent and should be voted OUT of office.

By he way... which taxes have they raised?

“we have a problem with health care generally in this country. We pay about $6,000 more per person than any other advanced nation, and our health outcomes are not much better and in some cases a little bit worse.”

Where does he get this garbage. America still has the best healthcare. People come from all over the world to use our healthcare facilities. If you want the best you have to pay for it.

Bull Crap!!
This guy will pander anyone to get his way. How long will it be before america wakes up to this communist agenda? Stimulus, bail-outs, Cap and Trade, Healthcare, amnesty, and on and on and on. Every one of these initiatives has the potential of bankrupting our country, and will most certainly result in unbearable taxex. I hope that in Nov of this year and again in 2012, the good people of this country will come to their senses and throw all of these liberal trashbags out of office. If not, I hope every american that voted for any of them gets a double dose of absolute misery.

NO politics. If you want your benifits and you want the truth. Go to the town meetings, write you congressmen and women. Call you elected Officals and let your views be know. The Great "silent majority" need to speak up now.

I wouldn't argue with you PM on the best, but probably the MOST EXPENSIVE health care in the world. And yep, those who can afford it do come from all over the world. What the President is talking about is the health care available to average Americans--what they get for what they pay. It's not the same thing. If you're an oil sheik, well the cost is immaterial. If you're working with a family to support, you worry. That's a situation the President wants to do something about, and given half a chance he will.

Weather I'll name 3.

1) New York Times recently reported that "the administration has no present plans to reopen negotiations on NAFTA" as "Obama vowed to do during his campaign," there was no explanation offered whatsoever. We were left to recall Obama previously telling Fortune magazine that his NAFTA promises were too "overheated and amplified" to be taken literally.

2) Allow five days of public comment before signing bills

Quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To reduce bills rushed through Congress and to the president before the public has the opportunity to review them, Obama "will not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days."

3) Obama promised a “net spending cut”

Obama’s budget would increase spending levels so much that budget deficits would rise by $4.8 trillion to $9.3 trillion while taxes would increase by $1.9 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

4) Capital gains tax elimination

According to his comprehensive tax plan released during his campaign, Obama promised to "eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses."

Just weeks prior to the election, Obama advisers Austan Goolsbee and Jason Furman told the Wall Street Journal that Obama planned tax cuts that included "the elimination of capital gains taxes for small businesses and start-ups."

People who invest in small businesses have only been allowed to exclude 50 percent of that gain from capital gains taxes. While Obama's $787 billion economic-stimulus package reduces that tax liability – raising the exclusion to 75 percent – it does not eliminate it.

5) 'No jobs for lobbyists'

However, USA Today reported Obama's campaign fundraising team included 38 members of law firms that were paid $138 million in 2007 to lobby the federal government.

And now he says he is open to tax increases for the bottom 95%
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I can keep going if you want. How come people expect Obama to be any different than the last? He is still a politico and he is from one of the most corrupt towns in America. Maby because there is a "D" in front of his name so fools keep believing everything he says!

Suzy posted a few facts concerning this healthcare bill, why not dispute them if they are wrong?

Obama didn't have to sign the "pork bill".

You can attack people and call them Bill O'Reilly or Hannitty or Rush or whatever but why not just show us, who are critical of Obama why we shouldn't be, why we should trust this man, why we ahould defend his every action blindly like so many do?

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out
of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person
must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody
anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When
half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the
other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the
idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what
they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You
cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

~~~~ Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931

The general outline seems to be to provide a "Universal" level of government-directed health care somewhat less than that already being provided for veterans -- which will make it easier to eliminate veteran health care.

That's not Currer what the President said, nor is it what he promised. What he has promised to deliver, and I quote: "The current Administration (written before the election) has consistently underinvested in health care for our heroic veterans. In 2005, a multi-billion dollar VA funding shortfall required Congress to step in and bail out the system. As President, Barack Obama will fully fund the VA so it has all the resources it needs to serve the veterans who need it, when they need it. Barack Obama believes that all veterans deserve quality care. He is committed to ending the unfair ban on health care enrollment of certain groups of veterans, including "Priority 8" veterans who often earn modest incomes. This ban has resulted in the VA turning away nearly one million veterans since 2003. As President, one of Barack Obama's first acts will be to sign an executive order reversing this ban . . ." I presume the President has done this, and if not, somebody ought to remind him. But this is the promise, and it does seem to me he is trying to deliver. I quoted that from "Change we can Believe In . .." The platform the President ran on. Comments? Questions? How is he failing to deliver?

Perhaps the current version of the health care plan will not specifically eliminate or downgrade Tricare or the VA medical care system, however the effect will be the same.

This is a simplified explanation of how that will occur. You may have noticed that a number of medical providers do not accept payment from Tricare or Medicare. There are a couple of primary reasons.
Low reimbursement rates (about 1/3 of what is normally billed)
Long waits for reimbursement (lots of hassle)

Once the government becomes a competitor for private insurance they will initially cost less and most people will adopt the govt plan. At this point most medical providers will have to accept the govt health plan (the govt may also mandate providers accept the govt option.

Next govt will continue to pressure cost downward while increasing red tape and the result will be more headaches and less profit for medical providers. That will result in less people entering medical careers and more people leaving the field.

The VA competes with private health care for doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals and is already having trouble finding enough good people. Once the supply goes down the will have even more difficulty competing.

So in short fewer providers, more recipients (all those uninsured getting more care), and more red tape will equal less access to quality medical care throughout the system, including Tricare recipients and VA patients.

Showing concern over this so called new healthcare reform bill, isn't crying by any means. There is a reason to be concerned.

The majority of Vets can't afford to pay for healthcare, they can't afford to go outside the VA, most aren't as well off as you seem to be and without these benefits they would most likely perish. It is never a good thing when you're forced to choose between paying utility bills, buying food, or seeing a doctor. If this new bill is passed this is where they will find themselves. They have earned these benefits. And along comes a bafoon who has never served this country, who by the way is also wealthy, and he gets to tell veterans when, where and how often they can be seen. He should not be given that right.

As far as the new cic cleaning up GWB's mess, why don't you list his accomplishments in that area.

The only major thing obama has accomplished since taking office is to Socialize the auto industry. Research how well that has gone.

Be concerned verterans, be very concerned, write your congressmen and senators, tell them not no, but to vote H@@@ no on this new bill. He is as bad if not worse than pelosy, every word out of her mouth is d lie.