Obama Team: Cut U.S. veterans' benefits deeply *but* give illegal aliens "free" $health$ care$, foreclosure a$$istance $$ etc. etc.
guybann...@aol.com
trillion-dollar stimulus bill $$ is NOT meant for "white male
construction workers"!
Found at http://pub29.bravenet.com/forum/2442810129/show/980858 (the
discussion forum of http://www.plainsradio.com/) :
Obama's team looks to decrease military/veteran medical benefits
Proposed Tricare Cuts Could Cause Problems For Military Families and
Retirees
January 7, 2009
It’s pretty much a given fact that the men and women serving in our
country’s Armed Forces aren’t paid a whole lot. A large majority of
them are living paycheck to paycheck, barely getting by. Many of our
Veterans are in the same position, some even worse off, as evidenced
by the numbers of homeless veterans in our country. When I read about
this particular proposal to cut Tricare benefits for Military Families
and Veterans I was none too happy.
A recent report from the Congressional Budget Office details just one
proposal that would increase out of pocket expenses for medical care
for Military Families and Veterans, while others would lose their VA
benefits altogether. Other proposals would raise Tricare fees, co-
payments and deductibles. Veterans whose medical condition isn’t
service related could end up no longer being eligible for VA medical
care at all. While nothing has been approved at this juncture, the
Congressional Budget Office director at this time is President-elect
Obama’s choice to be his director of the Office of Management and
Budget, and who led the work on this proposal, Peter R. Orszag, so it
very possibly will have a very real, very devastating affect on our
Troops and our Veterans.
“We are going to go through our federal budget, as I promised during
the campaign, page by page, line by line, eliminating those programs
we don’t need and insisting that those that we do need operate in a
sensible, cost-effective way,” Obama said in November as he announced
Orszag’s nomination to join his cabinet .
“We’re also going to focus on one of the biggest, long-run challenges
that our budget faces, namely the rising cost of health care in both
the public and private sectors,” Obama continued. “This is not just a
challenge but also an opportunity to improve the health care that
Americans rely on, and to bring down the costs that taxpayers,
businesses and families have to pay. That is what [OMB] will do in my
administration.”
Obama added, “Peter doesn’t need a map to tell him where the bodies
are buried in the federal budget. He knows what works and what
doesn’t, what’s worth our precious tax dollars and what is not.”1
If you care to read the report for yourself, which details these
proposals, as well as others, you can do so by following this link to
the Congressional Budget Office’s website. I’ll summarize some of the
proposed increases and changes and how they can and WILL affect our
Military Families and our Veterans.
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 TRICARE 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.
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.
CBO said 90 percent of these vets have other health care coverage. But
this change could leave up to 10 percent unable to find affordable
care.2
When I read this, needless to say it angered me. Our Servicemembers
and our Veterans have given so much to our country, did our country’s
bidding, often at the expense of their families and often at the
expense of their health. Our Servicemembers and Veterans deserve much
better treatment from our country than this. Right now, this changes
have not been implemented, so there’s still time to contact your
elected officials and let them know how you feel about this.
Military.com has a letter that you can use to send to your elected
officials and let them know how you feel about this. Please do so. You
can find this letter by following this link.
Our Troops, their Families and our Veterans deserve much better than
this. They deserve our appreciation and our gratitude. Increasing the
cost of healthcare benefits that they’ve worked so hard for is NOT the
way to do so. My thoughts are that perhaps Congress should look at
cutting some of the benefits and perks that they vote for themselves,
instead of benefits for our Troops. Afterall, they are public servants
as well and their healthcare costs, wages and benefits if cut could
save our country a considerable amount of money.
http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,182097,00.html [↩]
http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,182097,00.html [↩]
Go to the website for some really good comments...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
What Would America's Founders Do?
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
-- Benjamin Franklin
"It does not take a majority to prevail ... but rather an irate,
tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the
minds of men."
--Samuel Adams
No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.
-- Thomas Jefferson
The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to
keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves
against tyranny in government.
-- Thomas Jefferson
If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and
silent we may be led, like sheep, to the slaughter.
-- George Washington
If the representatives of the people betray their constituents,
there is then no resource left but in the exertion of that
original right of self-defense which is paramount to all positive
forms of government ... The citizens must rush tumultuously to
arms, without concert, without system, without resource;
except in their courage and despair ...
The natural strength of the people in a large community, in
proportion to the artificial strength of the government, is greater
than in a small ... the people, without exaggeration, may be said
to be entirely the masters of their own fate.
-- Alexander Hamilton
We in America do not have government by the majority.
We have government by the majority who participate.
-- Thomas Jefferson
All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good
conscience to remain silent.
-- Thomas Jefferson
Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of
the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe
depositories.
-- Thomas Jefferson
As our enemies have found we can reason like men, so now
let us show them we can fight like men also.
-- Thomas Jefferson
Don't talk about what you have done or what you are going
to do.
-- Thomas Jefferson
Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the
Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state.
-- Thomas Jefferson
Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will
delineate and define you.
-- Thomas Jefferson
Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on
does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which
they draw their gains.
-- Thomas Jefferson
I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied
corporations which dare already to challenge our government to
a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country.
-- Thomas Jefferson
I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our
liberties than standing armies.
-- Thomas Jefferson
Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government
those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations,
perverted it into tyranny.
-- Thomas Jefferson
Jerry Okamura
posting, while in the past, you could depend that some democrat would be
pointing out to us, anytime that they believed that Bush did the same thing.
There is a word for that, isn't there?
<guybann...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:512eb33c-537e-4972...@x29g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
Chip
> I find it kind of interesting, that not one democrat has responded to
> your posting, while in the past, you could depend that some democrat
> would be pointing out to us, anytime that they believed that Bush did
> the same thing. There is a word for that, isn't there?
>
> Obama's team looks to decrease military/veteran medical benefits
>
> http://soldiersmind.com/2009/01/07/proposed-tricare-cuts-could-cause-problems-for-military-families-and-retirees/
>
>
> Proposed Tricare Cuts Could Cause Problems For Military Families and
> Retirees
>
> January 7, 2009
>
>
Because we find it stupid to respond to mere conjecture straw men
looking for the worst possible scenario that hasn't even occurred. The
damn thing was written Jan 7,09 BEFORE Obama took office or are you one
of those who thinks he has "presided" since Nov 4,08? The word for that
is stupid!
You and Sordo really need to take remedial reading lessons. Look in a
dictionary and learn what "proposed" and "could" mean. Damn, the shit
just keeps getting deeper around here.
Come back and post when and if it really does happen. Don't hold your
breath since Obama and this Congress are too damn smart to hurt vets,
quite unlike their predecessors which bankrupt and almost destroyed the VA.
Chip
Thumper
wrote:
It says right in it that this was one of many proposals given TO Obama
FROM the OMB.
Thumper
Chip
Which at that time was under a Republican administration, with
Republican appointed leaders.
Chip
Chip
> Veterans’ Committee Republicans Recommend Reasonable Increases for VA
>
> For more information, contact: Brian Lawrence, (202) 225-3527
>
> Washington, D.C. — U.S. Representative Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), Ranking
> Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, today submitted
> Republicans’ recommendations for record-level funding for veterans’
> programs.
>
Unlike you I learned to read for comprehension, not propaganda. What
you posted was merely their "Recommendations" that they knew did not
stand a chance in hell of passing, but would look good on their records.
Look at some actual budget and expense numbers. These are in 2005 when
both the Exec and Congress had been in solid Republican hands for at
least 4 years.
http://www.legion.org/pressrelease/2219/wartime-budget-resolutions-fall-well-short-vas-funding-needs
"During the 108th Congress, former VA Secretary Anthony Principi
responded to Congress that the FY 2005 proposed budget was $1.2 billion
short of what he had actually requested. It appears this pattern of
shortchanging VA medical care continues in the 109th Congress," said
Cadmus. "America's veterans and their families deserve better ... period."
Chip
Chip
>>>>>> Jerry Okamura wrote:
>>>>>>> I find it kind of interesting, that not one democrat has responded to
>>>>>>> your posting,
>> Chip
>
> You, like your liberal peers, Islander, Hal and Alan, should add to
> your signatures "Legends in our own minds". I never ran across
> a bunch of lefties who were so full of themselves.
Again you resort to calling names rather than address the facts and
admitting that you are wrong. Being in denial, cowardly, and childish.
You may need therapy. Please get help. "A mind is a terrible thing
to waste".
Chip