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Concern Expressed about Bush Cost Hikes in Veterans
Health Care
Air Force Association
sees an adverse impact on nation's veterans, retirees
Feb. 22, 2006 - The Air Force Association (AFA)
today expressed concern about certain provisions in the President's
Fiscal Year 2007 budget, which they say could have an adverse impact on
our nation's veterans and retirees and their families. The Bush
administration's budget would significantly increase fees and co-pays
for certain groups of individuals in both the TRICARE and Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) health care systems.
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The TRICARE proposals would primarily affect
military retirees under the age of 65. Annual enrollment fees for
TRICARE Prime would double for senior enlisted personnel and nearly
triple for officer retirees.
A third tier of fees and deductibles for retirees
at the E-6 level and below would see their out-of- pocket costs increase
by more than 40 percent.
The budget also calls for an increase in annual
deductibles for TRICARE Standard, the military fee-for-service option,
and, for the first time, an enrollment fee for the plan. Finally, in a
change that would also impact Medicare-eligible retirees, co-pays under
the TRICARE retail pharmacy network would be increased from $3 to $5 for
generic drugs and $9 to $15 for brand name drugs.
The administration's VA budget provides an eight
percent increase in discretionary funding for VA health care, but also
proposes to create an annual enrollment fee of $250 for almost two
million veterans in Priority Groups 7 and 8 who lack service- connected
disabilities.
Their pharmacy co-payments would also nearly
double-the cost for a 30-day supply of a prescription drug increasing
from $8 to $15. The VA is estimating that, if enacted, these provisions
could drive 200,000 veterans out of the VA health care system.
"The Air Force Association believes that the nation
has a moral obligation to provide promised health care to military
retirees," said AFA Chairman of the Board Stephen P. Condon. "We
appreciate that the administration is attempting to make the best out of
a tough fiscal situation, but the budget must not be balanced on the
backs of veterans."
Condon believes that in a time when the nation is
engaged in a "Long War" against terrorists globally, it might be time to
take a closer look at the defense budget topline. "Defense spending
currently accounts for approximately four percent of America's GDP, an
insignificant amount historically when compared to past wars," Condon
said. "In the past, the American people have been willing to sacrifice
and provide our military with the resources it needed to defeat the
enemy. AFA believes they will do so again if asked."
About source:
The Air Force Association (AFA) is an independent,
nonprofit, civilian organization promoting public understanding of
aerospace power and the pivotal role it plays in the security of the
nation. AFA has more than 220 chapters nationwide and overseas, and more
than 130,000 members. Visit:
http://www.afa.org .
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