WASHINGTON - a military built to fight wars seeks more and more as a health law program.
Cost of the program that provides coverage health, some 10 million of active service members, retirees, reservists and their families have jumped for $ 19 billion in 2001 to $ 53 billion in the last request of the Pentagon budget.
Desperate to reduce spending in times of fiscal austerity Washington, Barack Obama the President has proposed increasing the rights of pensioners of age to work in the decades-old health program, known as TRICARE. After years of resisting the increases proposed for the military, men and women who have sacrificed for a nation, mindful of their legislators budget suddenly are prepared to pay them a little more for their health care, but not on the terms of President.
Current, unchanged expenses to 11 years, are $230 per year for an individual and $460 for family. It is much less than this that pay for civilian federal workers for health care, about $5,000 per year, and that most of the other people in the United States pay.
Obama seeks to increase the fee of $2.50 per month for one person and $5 per month for families, which is approaching the current price of a gallon of gasoline. Future increases in starting in 2013 would be indexed on such costs as measured by the national health expenditure index produced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, how growth of 6.2% of the projects.
"Care health eats alive Department", Defense Secretary Robert Gates said flatly - two years.
The explosive charge of health care rivals that the Pentagon shells to buy high-technology weapons, submarines and fighter aircraft and is about half of the $ 118 billion Obama administration wants in the next budget to fight wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, supported the proposal of Gates to collect charges for the pensioners of age to work in the next budget, and it enjoys the support of back at the top of the democratic CommitteeABR. Adam Smith of Washington State.
But McKeon, R-Calif., rejects the plan to link increases in 2013 and the index of health spending. He wants to bind any future increase in the cost - of-living adjustment military retirees, who this year was zero.
McKeon planned to release its version of the Bill for defence Monday. The Act said members of the military face "extra requests unique and extraordinary and make sacrifices during a career of 20-30 years in the protection of freedom for all Americans." Decades of sacrifices is a pre-paid premium important for health care that is beyond what the Member pays in cash. ?
The full Committee meets Wednesday to gather an overall Defense Bill for the fiscal year starting October 1. The Committee should replace the members of the Subcommittee of its staff which last week unanimously approved a ban of one year on any increase in the cost of health care.
"I believe strongly military retirees have made significant payments, downward through their service to the nation" said the Chairman of the Subcommittee, ABR. Joe Wilson, R - s .C. "in view of this service, is not good for the nation asking them to pay more for health care for which they are entitled, as all citizens are personally attacked financially of rising prices of gasoline."
Congress has repeatedly resisted the efforts of the Pentagon to increase the co-insurance or fresh, arguing that the members of the army and their families sacrifice much more than the U.S. average, with a career that includes the long and dangerous overseas deployments that overshadow the civil work.
Then even as Washington n with a deficit of bloating estimated at 1.6 billion and the eligibility requirements of programs such as Medicare and social security, legislators are reluctant to raise charges of health care for the members of the army and retirees.
But this year, Gates singled out in the working-age retirees, such as those in their forties who is retiring after some 20 more years in the army, as individuals who could afford a small increase.
"Many of these beneficiaries are employed full time while receiving full pensions, the health of their employer to stay with TRICARE, which often precedes" Gates told Congress. "This should be surprising, given that TRICARE fees current was established in 1995..." and have not been raised since. ?
Gates and the administration are against one of the most powerful constituency, the network of groups of former combatants and general retirement determined to stop any increase.
The Association military officers of America supports the increase in fees for one year, but strongly opposes any increase in 2013 and beyond bound to the index of health spending.
"We are in agreement with these modest increases," said Kathy Beasley, a former marine and Deputy Director of relations with the Government for the Group of officers. Increased fees linked to the index, however, "eroding the retirement benefits package".
Members of the Parliamentary Committee have more than 600 amendments to the comprehensive Bill which is supposed to come closer to the request of the Government of $ 553 billion. The measure will include provisions relating to the keeping open the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and to revive the extra engine for the F - 35 generation jet fighter.
Rep. Duncan Hunter Jr., R-Calif., will try to delay the repeal of the ban on the gay in the army until all four department heads certify that change not injure preparation or undermine the military. The Act, in force since last December, requires only certification by the President, the Secretary of Defense and the President of the General staff of the armed forces.
