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According to a vet; he just read on Military.com that there are reports, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has stepped up his push to block working age retirees from using TRICARE Prime. McCain suggested to the powerful 12-member Joint Select Committee on Debt Reduction it would help avoid spending cuts that would directly impact readiness.
According to TREA (The Retired Enlisted Assoc) - We’ve reported previously that Senator John McCain, one of the few military retirees in Congress, sent a letter to the Super Committee supporting the President’s proposals to establish enrollment fees for Tricare For Life and increase pharmacy co-pays, as well as changing the military retirement system. We have now learned that McCain also has urged the Super Committee to consider options for cutting military retiree benefits that have been put forth by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
They include barring retirees from using TRICARE Prime, imposing a huge new annual enrollment fee for TRICARE Standard of about $1,500 for a single retiree and about $3,500 for a retired family, barring TRICARE from acting as second payer to other insurance, and raising the retiree catastrophic cap from $3,000 to $7,500 a year. Because these proposals have come from McCain, we have great concern that the Super Committee could give them serious consideration.
All of this at the same time that President Obama promised in his Veteran's Day Proclamation:
"We owe them a debt of honor, and it is our moral obligation to ensure they receive our support for as long as they live as proud veterans of the United States Armed Forces. This year, as our troops in Iraq complete their mission, we will honor them and all who serve by working tirelessly to give them the care, the benefits, and the opportunities they have earned."
I just wounder how deep will these cuts go. Could Level 7 be next?
According to TREA (The Retired Enlisted Assoc) - We’ve reported previously that Senator John McCain, one of the few military retirees in Congress, sent a letter to the Super Committee supporting the President’s proposals to establish enrollment fees for Tricare For Life and increase pharmacy co-pays, as well as changing the military retirement system. We have now learned that McCain also has urged the Super Committee to consider options for cutting military retiree benefits that have been put forth by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
They include barring retirees from using TRICARE Prime, imposing a huge new annual enrollment fee for TRICARE Standard of about $1,500 for a single retiree and about $3,500 for a retired family, barring TRICARE from acting as second payer to other insurance, and raising the retiree catastrophic cap from $3,000 to $7,500 a year. Because these proposals have come from McCain, we have great concern that the Super Committee could give them serious consideration.
All of this at the same time that President Obama promised in his Veteran's Day Proclamation:
"We owe them a debt of honor, and it is our moral obligation to ensure they receive our support for as long as they live as proud veterans of the United States Armed Forces. This year, as our troops in Iraq complete their mission, we will honor them and all who serve by working tirelessly to give them the care, the benefits, and the opportunities they have earned."
I just wounder how deep will these cuts go. Could Level 7 be next?