Got your attention, did it? Check this out and see if that's all that far off...
Congress will worsen a near crisis of runaway military health care costs if it enacts a Senate-backed provision to open the new Tricare Reserve Select program to all drilling Reserve and National Guard members, the Defense Department's top health official has warned.
In testimony before a House subcommittee, Dr. William Winkenwerder said military health costs have doubled in just the last four years to more than $36 billion, largely because of enhancements in benefits for retirees and their families. But Winkenwerder also blamed a decadelong freeze on Tricare enrollment fees and co-payments, which he suggested DOD will try to raise after consulting military leaders and Congress.
Remind me again, Dr Winkenwerder how much money we have paid CheneyBurton and other companies to mis-manage contracts in Iraq? How much money was airlifted in pallets of $100 dollar bills on C-17's into Baghdad and disappeared? Now you want to start cutting costs on the backs of retirees and others who served with the promise of care? I love this:
If costs aren't brought under control, he warned, the "sustainability" of the military's "world class" health benefit is threatened. The current $36 billion budget will climb to $50 billion in four or five years, Winkenwerder said. Even the Joint Chiefs, he added, are now worried that health spending is affecting programs of higher priority for the nation's defense.
"climb to $50 Billion in four to five years" yeah, as opposed to the close to $217 billion and counting spent to date on "Freedoms" for the shia to choose Persian Fundamentalism for the entire Gulf Region. Hey, great work, that!
The of course, there are the conservitards in the House of Representatives who couldn't balance the budget if their lives depended on it:
Congress should do nothing more on reserve health benefits, Winkenwerder said, until TRS has had time to run. He criticized as costly and unneeded a Senate-approved plan to open TRS to all drilling reservists. House Republican leaders removed similar language from the House 2006 defense authorization bill, saying the $3.8 billion cost over five years, was not offset with cuts elsewhere, thus violating House budget rules.
Rep. John McHugh, R-N.Y., chairman of the personnel subcommittee, had supported that decision and invited Winkenwerder to comment on the nearly identical provision alive in the Senate bill.
"We don't support that provision," said Winkenwerder.
So, drilling reservists covered or potentially covered by the plan, your healthcare under the TRS plan has been deemed less important by the republican House of Representatives than oh, say, the Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska or any of the other billions of dollars of pork-ola supported by the CongressCriminals, maybe even yours.
Don't you love it when the DoD and by extension the 1600 Crew fights for you? Anymore of this kind of love, and you could be getting billed by collection agencies while you're recuperating from those shrapnel wounds from last weeks IED explosion. Oh, wait, that's already happened. Never mind.
One might almost argue that Dr Winkenwerder is trying to be a good guardian of our tax dollars at work...except he's trying to make sure he guards them for the next round of tax cuts for the Friends of the 1600 Crew.
posted by Jo Fish on 11.02.05 at 09:46 PM
Comments:
Does it really surprise you with this current bunch in the White House?
posted by: Sgt Schultz on 11.02.05 at 10:16 PM [permalink]
No, this doesn't surprise. The blind faith many of my fellow servicemembers have on the Republican Party despite all that has been going on is what puzzles me.
posted by: SPC B. on 11.03.05 at 06:59 AM [permalink]
We must rein in these overwhelming healthcare costs. They are threatening to destroy our economy. And after all, fair is fair: the armed services disgraceful failure to accomplish their mission in Dear Leader's glorious Imperial Adventure cries out for punishment, doesn't it?
If they weren't so unpatriotic they would have captured ALL of Osama bin Forgotten's #2 men in Iraq and crushed this insurgency, thereby making Iraq safe for American Corporations.
The repubs have proven that they have no qualms about spending Amerikan tax dollars as long as it's on their cronies and corporate buddies. They do not want those in need of those tax dollars--like our active duty troops or veterans--to get them. Oh no, that's just not Amerikan. Besides these conservative elites see those who serve in uniform as fodder for their gain. These creeps sicken me! I'm just say'n.
posted by: hate-the-kool-aid on 11.03.05 at 08:48 PM [permalink]
Hmmm... StarWars... corporate welfare... rescind incentives to oil companies... pork... congessional health benefits... sell the presidential yatch... don't buy brand new Marine One helicopters... tax the rich... tax the very rich... tax the uber rich... draft the rich... tax estates over $1,000,000... capital gains tax in excess of what an average person making a lower middle class income invest on average(work with me people)...
