Dr.William Winkenwerder, Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said he and other senior defense
officials, were alarmed by a doubling of military health care costs over the last Five Years. He has suggested a raise in
out-of-pocket costs for benificiaries. The TRICARE triple-option plan began in 1995. This author feels
that all Retirees and Dependants were promised free medical care. The origional cost was $230 per person or
$460 per family per year. Also co-payments of $12 for a civilian Doctor and $11 a day for hospitalization. I will
be the first to admit that these fees are not very high or taxing to a budget. The point remains that we werled to beleave
that we would not have to pay anything.
With TRICARE the average retiree under the age of 65 see out-of-pocket
costs of about $700 a year, compared to $3800 or more if they use employer-provided insurance. This cost diferential
has caused a steady migration to TRICARE. In the year 2000 60% of this age group relied on TRICARE. Since then the numbers
have grown to about 72%.
The bottom line is that our government has not honored commitments and obligations made to the "greatest
Generation" which is resulting in negative feedback to the following gererations. P_ast warriors arenot recieving the
medical care they were promised. Disabled troops are required to fund thier own disability, Widows are ignored.
In short, troops leave blood and body parts on the battlefield but areconsidered a funding drain when it
comes to honoring them for their sacrefices and commitment.
The Bureaucrats in their ivory towers only view penalizing those whom without them they would not have their
cushy jobs. Parts of this note were plegerized from an email received from Harry Riley Col USA Ret
