Fuck You Very Much, Mistah Commander in Chief. Sir. Part 2

Of what looks like it's going to become a series...

Isn't this just the raw, rampant buck nekkid LEADERSHIP we've come to expect from Barack O'Bama? Send 30,000+ troops off to Afghanistan with a rousing "bye bye, soldiers! Have fun fighting the Taiban! Hope your kids don't get sick...!"




This is something I'd heard about earlier, but thanks to Deborah Leigh for getting me further information: this isn't getting any airtime, but should be.


Tricare is a major element of the US military health care system. Obama, Reid and Pelosi can find stimulus money to pay for illegal immigrants' abortions, but they can't afford this:

FEES FOR ACTIVE DUTY FAMILIES– Dependents of active duty members enrolled in TRICARE Prime, the managed care network, would pay new fees equal to 10 percent of the cost of health services obtained either in military treatment facilities or through civilian network providers. Total out of pocket costs would be capped, however.

To help offset these costs, dependents would receive a $500 non-taxable allowance annually. Those who elect to use alternative health insurance, rather than TRICARE, could apply the $500 toward their health insurance premiums, co-payments or deductibles.

CBO estimates these fees would save $7 billion over 10 years and encourage Prime enrollees to “use medical services prudently.” It also would entice more spouses to enroll in employer-provided health plans instead of TRICARE. The downside, CBO said, would be financial difficulties for some Prime enrollees despite the cap on out-of-pocket costs. Also, CBO said, spouses induced to rely on employer health plans could see health coverage interrupted during military assignment relocations.

TRICARE-FOR-LIFE FEES– The military’s health insurance supplement to Medicare could see higher user costs. Under this option, beneficiaries would pay the first $525 of yearly medical costs plus one half of the next $4725 of costs charged to Medicare. So the extra out-of-pocket cost for TFL users would be up to $2887.50 a year. This amount would be indexed to rise with Medicare costs. The change would save $40 billion over 10 years. But CBO said it also could discourage some patients from seeking preventive care or proper management of chronic conditions. So it could negatively affect some patients’ health.

TIGHTEN VA ENROLLMENT– The VA healthcare system would be directed to disenroll 2.3 million Priority Groups 7 and 8 -- individuals who are not poor and have no service-related medical needs. Estimated savings would be $53 billion over 10 years but Medicare spending would rise by $26 billion in the same period as elderly among these vets shifted to Medicare.


But WAIT! There's more! We have money for frisbee golf courses but we don't have money for this:

TRICARE FOR WORKING-AGE RETIREES– Fees, co-payments and deductibles would be raised for retirees under 62 to restore the relative costs paid when TRICARE began in 1995. TRICARE Prime enrollment would be raised to $550 a year for individuals from $230. Retiree families would pay $1100 versus $460 today. Co-pays for doctor visits would climb to $28 from $12 and users of TRICARE Standard and Extra would pay an annual deductible of $350 for an individual and $700 for families. Congress has declined to support such increases for the past three years.

There has been no press, no television, no radio about this. Spread the word.