http://news.yahoo.com/lawmakers-open...080216962.html
Republicans and Democrats alike are signaling a willingness — unheard of at the height of two post-Sept. 11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — to make military retirees pay more for coverage. It's a reflection of Washington's newfound embrace of fiscal austerity and the Pentagon's push to cut health care costs that have skyrocketed from $19 billion in 2001 to $53 billion.
The numbers are daunting for a military focused on building and arming an all-volunteer force for war. The Pentagon is providing health care coverage for 3.3 million active duty personnel and their dependents and 5.5 million retirees, eligible dependents and surviving spouses. Retirees outnumber the active duty, 2.3 million to 1.4 million.
The two groups were unnerved when both parties' leaders on the Senate Armed Services Committee — Carl Levin, D-Mich., and John McCain, R-Ariz. — recommended that the special deficit-cutting supercommittee look at raising enrollment fees and imposing restrictions on the military's health care program, known as TRICARE. Current military members would be grandfathered in.
McCain and Levin also favored creating a commission to look at military retirement benefits and make recommendations for changes Republicans and Democrats have echoed his apocalyptic warning. In their separate letters to the supercommittee, Levin and McCain said they reject any deeper cuts in overall defense spending beyond the 10-year, $450 billion cuts.
Determined to avoid spending reductions that would hit troop numbers, aircraft, ships and weapons, Levin, McCain and other lawmakers are urging budget-cutters to scrutinize the military entitlement programs.
Levin and McCain support establishing an annual enrollment fee for TRICARE for Life, the health care program that now has no fee for participation. Obama had proposed an initial annual fee of $200.
Levin said future increases in fees should be tied to the same index used to determine hikes in the TRICARE Prime program, which has the lowest out-of-pocked expenses.
McCain also urged the supercommittee to consider restricting working-age military retirees and their dependents from enrolling in TRICARE Prime. The retirees could still enroll in other TRICARE programs. McCain pointed out that the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that such a move would save $111 billion over 10 years.
The House vote to raise the annual TRICARE Prime fees by $2.50 for individuals and $5 for families.....snip~
Now because they are deperate for money they want to go after Vets and the Military benefits. Thats both Parties. Yet did they go after those lifelong Judges Positions. Those politicans benefits. What are they doing for the Dept of the SOS. Not to mention those Serving only get combat pay while in a War. So it's not like they would even have the income to live on by themselves.
Both Panetta and Clinton have stated that the Military cannot be cut more than the 450 billion already stated without it affecting the National Security of the US. Helloooo, catch the terminology that was told to Congress and the White House. A Threat to the National Security of the US. Which means any percieved talks will then become classified and certian programs will not be cut.
Note.....WITF is Johnny (Quest) McCain doing on the is Armed Services Committee as Head of that Committee. Number one lets not forget McCain says he don't know anything about economics. Basics right? So here is a guy proposing to cut and or hinder, not to mention cost Military personell and their families to have to pay more and spend more. Yet then runs out and talks about how he is for the troops.
To top it off every week Johnny toots his horn only to change what he stated from before. No telling which way Johnny Quest's horn will blow. Then the State of Arizona re-elects him all based on the fact that he is a War Hero. That the military generations of today actually listen to what he has to say is bad enough. But then to watch him flip over things he did or started or even said is a trajedy in itself.
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Originally Posted by Elibe
