Anti Veteran Sen Coburn R-Ok Still At It

[allan]

To: Veteran Issues by Colonel Dan <VeteranIssues@yahoogroups.com>

Subject: [VeteranIssues] Anti Veteran Sen Coburn R-OK still at it

Date: Jul 25, 2011 5:45 AM

http://www.washingto...l6WI_story.html

partial reprint below

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) wants to cut taxpayer funding for non-military elements of the Defense Department, starting with making retired, uninjured service members pay more for what he described as "extremely low-cost health care for life" for themselves, their spouses and dependents under the Tricare Prime system.

For military retirees eligible for Medicare, he also wants to raise the co-payments that they are charged to be in Tricare for life, the second payer for health care after Medicare. In addition, he wants to increase low fees that Tricare beneficiaries pay for pharmaceuticals purchased at their local drugstores.

Former defense secretary Robert M. Gates proposed raising Tricare Prime enrollment fees for single retirees from $230 a year to $260 a year and fees for retiree families from $460 a year to $520 a year. Coburn wants the fees to be much higher and more in line with private-sector health plans.

Part of his concern is fairness, first for uninjured veterans who, for example, served in Iraq and/or Afghanistan but "leave the military without serving 20 years [and] are not entitled to any of these health-care benefits." They represent some 70 percent of those serving, according to Pentagon officials.

Another comparison he makes is to other federal government workers whose plans are not as cheap. A medical doctor, Coburn told reporters last Monday: "Nobody in the country, as a single person working 20 years for the government, should be able to get health care for $250 a year. Nobody was ever promised that, and nobody should be able to do that."

Instead, he wants to increase the enrollment fee for single retirees to "approximately $2,000 per year and $3,500 for a family." At the same time he would limit out-of-pocket expenses at $7,500 for those retirees with families. He thinks these changes could save $11.5 billion a year.

His Tricare for life would require retirees to pay up to $550 for half the initial cost not covered by Medicare and then up to $3,025, after which all costs would be paid by Tricare. This change could save $4.3 billion a year.

Coburn wants to reduce the $8 billion annual government share of the cost of drugs that Tricare beneficiaries purchase from their local private retail pharmacies rather than buying them at lower cost by mail order or at military base facilities. Where the price is now $3 for a 30-day supply of a generic drug and $9 for a brand-name from private pharmacies, Coburn would raise that to$15 for generic and $25 for brand names and save some $2.6 billion a year.

Coburn told reporters he has no doubt about the reaction to his Tricare ideas.

"There's no question," he said, ". . . retired military, they won't like what I've done. But the fact is is nobody's going to like what we've done, because everybody gets a pinch everybody. "

__._,_.___ "Keep on, Keepin' on"

Dan Cedusky, Champaign IL "Colonel Dan"

See my web site at:

http://www.angelfire.../VeteranIssues/

http://www.facebook.com/dan.cedusky

Edited July 25, 2011 by allan

[allan]

Thank you people of Oklahoma

Keep electing people like this and "ALL" promises made to military personnel will be gone. Why stop at health care? Why not remove "all" retirement benefits? Why not remove "all" compensation benefits as well?

Why not just do away with the Dept of Veterans affairs? Think of the savings that could be made eliminating this government agency and the bums using it.

These people are like vampires. One drop and they will never be satisfied until it's all in their control and there's riots in the streets.

Edited July 25, 2011 by allan

[john999]

I agree with that Allan. If we can't or won't fight them now we will fight them in the streets later.

[Pete53]

Calm down many proposals are made and never happen.

[Papa]

I agree with Pete. I emailed both my Senators and let them know how I felt on this and other Veteran issues. I personally do not care what party wants to do what, if it affects Veterans and our Military, then I get pi**ed. One thing that I reminded my Senators of is that the Veterans and Military personnel are not Welfare people and tied to entitlements. I told them that we have earned our benefits with our sweat, blood and tears.

Papa

[hueyman]

My memory is bad,but can not remember the military ever making promises to me,much less "ALL" promises. Must be something that started in the all voluntary Army.

[Stilt]

"Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) wants to cut taxpayer funding for non-military elements of the Defense Department, starting with making retired, uninjured service members pay more for what he described as "extremely low-cost health care for life" for themselves, their spouses and dependents under the Tricare Prime system."

Someone needs to remind the senator that, to use his term, "extremely low-cost health care for life", is part of the deal like the low pay. It's call a reward for serving when others didn't. Its call saving their (politicians) sorry asses for not having the balls to establish a draft to man the military. Its call having to serve under the stop-loss policy. No sir senator, you don't change the rules after the game has been played.