Another slap to retirees

[Eagle5US]

http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,82291,00.html

Rarely do I post articles-but damn this one really bothers me. Why? Because I am part of the system with which this is involved.

Bottom line-Retiree medical benefits are going the way of the dodo

Retiree medical benefits are slim at best. Shoot-even if you are active duty you have a fit trying to get a timely appointment, retirees are bottom of the barrel, and their family members are last on the list. Many of these folks were told for years about their free medical and dental for life-as was I when I first joined in the early 80's. They (and I) accepted the initial change over to TRI-SCARE and the subsequent charge for them to have the priviledge to be placed last on any and every availability list for care.
The cost of the coverage was commensurate with the availability of care-it was cheap...and you get what you pay for. Add to that, less than 23% of civilian healthcare providers or establishments nationwide accept Tri-Care for anysource of coverage. The reason? Because Tri-Care reimbursement for community established procedure guidelines is less than 10% of what is recognized to be the standard.
For example..the collective bill for one of my shoulder surgeries, done at a civilian hospital under TriCare contract while at 10th MTN, was 18K +/-. TriCare's TOTAL reimbursement to Carthage hospital was just under $400.
The notion to more than triple the cost of substandard health coverage, and program annual increases to mirror cost of living increases, just chaps my skin. The article sites that TriCare premiums have not been raised in more than a decade. Yet it fails to mention that TriCare acceptance by civilian establishments has declined by more than 70%. What justification do they have to raise a premium when their product is cnsidered substandard by the established professional community?
In a time of war, when we are going to be generating veterans who will be both physically disabled and in many cases unable to maintain a significant substantial income, I think this proposed change is a terrible example of things to come. Add to that a VA system that is bankrupt, broken, and generally staffed with providers who are underpaid (but anable to get jobs elsewhere), and the medical outlook is bleek for this nations retirees and disabled warfighters.
OK...Rant off:

Eagle

[Dan]

Thanks for the link/heads up on the cost increase. What is even worse is the dental insurance like DDP!

[lksteve]

Originally Posted by Eagle5US

Add to that a VA system that is bankrupt, broken, and generally staffed with providers who are underpaid (but anable to get jobs elsewhere), and the medical outlook is bleek for this nations retirees and disabled warfighters.

nobody ever said it would be easy...nobody ever said it would be fair...speaking for myself, i never considered the long term benefits (beyond retirement pay) when i chose to make the Army a career...after dealing with CHAMPUS shortly after retirement, i did not opt to participate in TRICARE...my wife and i are both covered by insurance from our respective employers...as you mentioned, providers are reluctant to accept CHAMPUS/TRICARE as insurance...they want their money up-front and want you to apply for reimbursement...

and Delta Dental...it's as worthwhile as title insurance...

i share your pain...i share your anger...but c'est le guerre...

[Kyobanim]

and Delta Dental...it's as worthwhile as title insurance

the company I work for dropped Cigna dental for Delta Dental, is it that bad?

[Pete]

When we went over the +/- of the programs we picked Tri-care standard. We seem to have no problem with the system.

One of our girls had to have an operation this year and spent a week at UNC Hospital, Chapel Hill. This was the only year we hit our Cat-Cap so we had to pay a little over $2,000 out of pocket this year plus the office co-pays. Most hospitals will change big bills in monthly payments if you ask.

Dental? We figured up our co-pays vs whats covered vs what we use and its cheaper to just pay that one out of pocket also. The year of two sets of braces did pinch a bit. With twins most things come in twos.


Pete
I try and stay out of hospitals, too many germs in them.

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by Kyobanim

the company I work for dropped Cigna dental for Delta Dental, is it that bad?

All I can say about Delta Dental (Retiree) is that for almost $100 per month (allegedly government subsidized), they do not seem to cover very much.

It took the dentist almost 18 months to get my wife's crown approved, then they only paid half.

Once the kids are out of the house, I am going to go to out of pocket for dental, I believe.

Tricare Prime (Retired) has been pretty good so far, but for a rate increase like that, I may have to reconsider.

The VA seems to try very hard, but has limited resources and a lot of needy people competing for them.

It would appear that when I make a promise to the government, it is binding, but when they make one to me, it is quite flexible.

TR

[one-zero]

Just went to my pre-ret brief and listend to the Tricare pitch at least an hour...there wasn't any hint of this proposed rate hike mentioned.
I hope the vet advocacy groups earn membership dues in quashing this one.
1-0

[SOGvet]

Half-page story in today's Fayetteville rag titled, "Higher Tricare fees planned for retirees" - includes a chart with the increases.

BLUF: What you're paying $460 for now (family rate) will escalate to $900 for enlisted and $1500 for officers by 1 Oct 08, with incrimental increases between now and then.

I looked to see if there's a link on the Fayetteville Observer's website - there's not.

As a 90% disabled vet and retiree, I should be able to go to Womack or the VA hospital for everything, yet I've chosen to pay out of pocket for Mailhandlers since I became a civil servant in 1990.

[nmap]

I thought this might be of interest to some here.

LINK

Higher Tricare fees among cost-cutting ideas

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Feb 10, 2009 14:24:04 EST

A Senate committee wrestling with ways to get the federal deficit under control is weighing recommendations from a nonpartisan arm of Congress that include increases in health care fees for retirees and their families, as well as limits on veterans’ health care benefits.

At a Senate Budget Committee hearing Tuesday, Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., committee chairman, said the $11.6 trillion national debt is expected to more than double by 2019, with federal health care costs a key factor.

Conrad said he thinks even that forecast is “overly optimistic” and that the debt will be larger.

The Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan arm of Congress, has compiled a list of 115 options for changes in medical care programs, mostly ways to cut federal funding, that Conrad’s committee is considering as it tries to prepare a 2010 federal spending guide.

The options include raising enrollment fees, copayments and deductibles for military retirees younger than age 65 and their families using the Tricare health benefits program; requiring some veterans to pay copayments when being treated for medical issues not related to military service; and a novel idea of allowing active-duty families to pocket money — up to $500 each year — if they don’t use health benefits.

Also included is a cost-sharing idea for Medicare-eligible military retirees under which the government would not cover the first $525 of health care costs each year and provide limited reimbursement of the next $4,725 in costs, all in an effort to discourage unnecessary medical treatment.

That aim also is the basis for the CBO proposal to give $500 to active-duty families in a tax-free allowance that would be used to cover new out-of-pocket expenses for Tricare. It could be used to pay for insurance from other sources, such as a spouse’s employer-provided health care plan, or it could be pocketed if the family doesn’t spend it.

It was clear from the hearing that the costs of military and veterans health care programs are not the primary focus of lawmakers, who are more worried about spiraling costs for the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

However, the fact that Tricare fees have not increased since that program was created in the mid-1990s — despite constant calls by the Defense Department to raise deductibles, copayments and enrollment fees to cut military health care costs — is likely to get attention because other Americans are paying more for their health care.

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., noted that between 2001 and 2007, health care premiums for average Americans increased by 78 percent, which he called an “unsustainable” and “unhealthy” trend.

The budget committee does not have the power to increase Tricare fees or change veterans’ health care benefits. Instead, its influence is in making recommendations on federal spending by preparing an annual revenue and spending plan that, if approved by Congress, sets limits for various programs.

A recommendation in the budget guide to cap military or veterans health care funding could force lawmakers on other committees to devise ways to reduce spending.

[KClapp]

I still have about 8 years to go before I am eligible for my retirement benefits (10 years active + 10 years Guard). However, it seems by that time we'll all be on a socialized medical program anyway.

FWIW, I thought Tricare would be secondary to Medicare anyway. Is that not the case?

[brewmonkey]

Originally Posted by KClapp

I still have about 8 years to go before I am eligible for my retirement benefits (10 years active + 10 years Guard). However, it seems by that time we'll all be on a socialized medical program anyway.

FWIW, I thought Tricare would be secondary to Medicare anyway. Is that not the case?

While Tri-Care might be secondary medicare is not that great itself.

However as I understand Medicare, unless it is the primary insurer you are not eligible for Medicare Supplemental Coverage/Medi-Gap Coverage or Part D as they would be covered by your primary and without those Medicare barley pays anything, it basically winds up being an 80/20 major medical policy with huge out of pocket expenses. It is the supplemental coverage that helps fill in those holes, but it can be expensive. I pay close to $300 a month for all my coverages, Part A&B (Medicare), Supplemental and Part D (Prescription Coverage). As well even though someone may be eligible for Medicare coverage it is not free and just the standard A&B part runs close to $100 a month.

When you combine all the medicare parts though it is decent insurance although you can only cover the primary person and no one else.

[Ret10Echo]

I kept TriCare as a secondary after I retired simply because of the (low) cost. In reality, based upon the current cost of healthcare in general the increases still make it a bargain. Of course no insurance is worth paying for if it doesn't cover anything or if no providers will accept it.

I have gone through 3 different dental programs in the past 4 years trying to keep the same dentist....his office keeps dropping the insurer that I pick up. It is pretty much a lose-lose with dental insurance.

[2charlie]

I find it pretty sad that our law makers will approve every socialist/communist program that runs across their desk and waste billions in the process, all in the name of stimulating the economy. Meanwhile, our vets are having to worry about crap like this.

[FMF DOC]

[QUOTE=The Reaper;103439]All I can say about Delta Dental (Retiree) is that for almost $100 per month (allegedly government subsidized), they do not seem to cover very much.

I agree 100% that Delta Dental is a joke. As far as everything else it is a shame... But it's all about the dollar, like everything else. Someone out there has a calculator working over time and figuring out how many Veterans are coming out of the service, probably at a faster rate than ever. So why not hike up the cost, co-pays ect ect.... More money in their pockets. It's not about helping the Veterans, it's about making money. I wouldn't be suprised if the cap for your dependents isn't lowered to one visit a yr.

[Soft Target]

Paging Colonel Bud Day; paging Colonel Bud Day.