Bill Introduced to Block TRICARE Fee Increases

If you recall, AUSA strongly supported a bill (H.R. 4949) introduced in the 109th Congress by Reps. Walter Jones, R-N.C., and Chet Edwards, D-Texas that blocked the Pentagon’s ability to drastically increase TRICARE fees.

Now, Reps. Jones and Edwards have reintroduced their Military Retirees’ Health Care Protection Act (H.R. 579).

A statement from Rep. Jones said, “This legislation is about offering protection for the men and women who are willing to protect our nation from its enemies, and keeping promises to those who have promised to put themselves in harm’s way when called upon,” The families of our armed forces deserve consistent health care benefits.”

Rep. Edwards said, “Our common bond is a deep and abiding respect for those who have committed their lives to military service. Our common goal is to ensure that those who serve our nation in uniform are treated fairly.”

H.R. 579 establishes the principle that it is the responsibility of Congress, not the Pentagon, to establish when and by how much military health fees will be increased. The bill would block the Pentagon from dramatically raising health care fees on military retirees by removing the Secretary of Defense’s current authority to make virtually unlimited increases in four specific areas:

--Enrollment fees for retired members and survivors in TRICARE Prime, the military-managed health plan;

--Pharmacy copayments;

--Enrollment fees for the new TRICARE Reserve Select program that was implemented last year to maintain health coverage continuity for Guard and Reserve families; and,

--Retiree and survivor co-payments for inpatient care

AUSA strongly endorses this legislation and appreciates the continued support Reps. Jones and Edwards have provided on this important issue.

Please add your voice to ours and go to the AUSA website, www.ausa.org. Click on “Contact Congress” then after “Elected Officials” type your Zip Code and scroll down to “Stop Erosion of Military Health Care Benefits”.


More Details on Army End Strength Increase

In his opening testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary Robert Gates repeated his announcement that the active duty Army and Marine Corps would grow by 92,000 members over the next five years. In response, Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo., said, “We struck pay dirt with that. Since 1995, I’ve been calling for more than 40,000 more soldiers for the Army. Today, we got more than that.”

Secretary Gates said, “It will take some time for these new troops to become available for deployment, but it is important that our men and women in uniform know that additional manpower and resources are on the way.”

Gen. Peter Pace, USMC, and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that he expected the increases in end strength to be included primarily in the President’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2008 and also in the next supplemental.

At the same time as he announced the increases in end strength, Gates outlined a new policy on access to the National Guard and Reserve.

“First, the mobilization of ground reserve forces going forward, will be managed on a unit instead of an individual basis. The change will allow us to achieve great unit cohesion and predictability. Second, from this moment forward … members of the Reserves will be involuntarily mobilized for a maximum of one year at a time, in contrast to the current practice of 16 to 24 months.”

Secretary Gates added that the Army force generation model was still “the planning objective.” That would mean one year available for deployment in the active force and two back home and one year available for deployment in the Guard and Reserve and five years back home.

At a press conference, Gen. Pace said that the reality has been one year deployed, a year back home and then deployed again for the active force and that Guardsmen and Reservists were being mobilized for between 18 and 24 months, but not being called involuntarily back to active duty. During the hearing, he said it was possible that some individuals in the Minnesota Army National Guard, who are being extended in Iraq, could be on active duty longer than 24 months.

For some Guardsmen and Reservists, this change in policy would mean being activated again after having been mobilized for Afghanistan or Iraq, Gen. Pace said. “But your time, as the secretary has indicated, will be no more than 12 months when you go a second time. Or, if you happen to be a new recruit and you go the first time, it will be for 12 months.”

Secretary Gates also said that the Defense Department was establishing a program to pay individuals $1,000 a month in the active and reserve components who are required to mobilize or deploy early or have been extended in theater.

“We are very sensitive to change in moving from volunteers,” as had been the practice to fill units with soldiers and marines who had the correct military specialties “to involuntary call-up,” he said at the hearing.

“I am also directing that all commands and units review how they administer the hardship waiver program to ensure that they are properly taking into account exceptional circumstances facing military families of deployed service members.”


Did You Know…

…that legislation has been enacted that will assist the military with affordable calls to families?

Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska commended Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Kevin J. Martin and the Commission for acting quickly to begin implementation of the Call Home Act of 2006, which passed Congress late last year. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Stevens and current Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii.

This legislation directs the FCC, in coordination with the Department of Defense and the Department of State, to work to reduce phone rates for Armed Forces personnel deployed overseas. This FCC action is only the first step in the implementation process, but will reduce costs for military personnel calling home.

“I applaud Chairman Martin and the entire Commission for the speedy implementation of the Call Home Act,” said Sen. Stevens. “As a former military pilot stationed overseas during World War II, I know how much it means to be able to communicate with families and loved ones at home. It can cost soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan as much as 33 cents a minute to call their families in Alaska. Today’s action by the FCC will immediately provide our troops and their families with access to more affordable communications services.”

The Call Home Act authorizes the FCC to take actions necessary to reduce phone bills for troops deployed overseas, including the waiver of government fees, assessments, or other charges. In seeking to reduce these telephone rates, the measure directs the FCC to evaluate and analyze the costs of calls to and from official duty stations; evaluate methods of reducing rates including the deployment of new technology such as Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP); encourage phone companies to adopt flexible billing for troops and their dependents; and seek agreements with foreign governments to reduce international surcharges on phone calls.