His stance is that the health care budget has roughly doubled this year to $38 billion, and if it continues to rise at a similar rate, would be at $65 billion by 2015. His plan is directed to retirees under age 65, with enrollment fees and deductibles for Tricare Standard and Prime to rise several hundred dollars over two years. Much criticism comes from the fact that annual retired pay raises are designed to roughly keep pace with inflation and such annual pay raises are in fact reduced by increases in health care costs - it is argued that retired pay and retiree health care are two separate things. Winkenwerder further states that some form of increase is necessary if the quality of health care is to be sustained.
Both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have categorically rejected the Pentagon plans. However, they are upset that the president's budget already reduced health funding by $735 million for the coming year, in the expectation that these increased fees would be imposed. The House Services Military Personnel Subcommittee proposes no Tricare fee increases until at least 2008 and is seeking larger pay raises. This same subcommittee has made the recommendation that the DoD reduce beneficiary co-payments for generic drugs from $3 to zero in the mail order system, but would raise the payments for drugs purchased from retail stores from $3 to $5 for generic drugs and from $9 to $15 for brand-name drugs. The full Senate has approved Lautenberg's amendment on Tricare pharmacy. This amendment would bar the DoD from increasing co-pays in 2007.
It appears now that based on legislation passed by Congress, it is safe to assume the following will be true: Tricare Prime enrollment fees or Tricare Standard deductible won't increase - Tricare mail-order pharmacy co-pays would be reduced to zero for most formulary drugs; a probable increase in retail co-pays, though this issue needs some compromise between the House and Senate; possible requirement of a $25 ($40 per family) enrollment fee in Tricare Standard, but the House and Senate also have to compromise on this issue. However, I do not think the administration has given up, and we shall just have to see what works it way out.
As for the Defense Authorization Bill, there are a group of amendments, which have been adopted by the Senate: Senator Harry Reid's amendment to implement full concurrent receipt to "unemployable" disabled retirees; Senator Mike DeWine's amendment to expand eligibility of certain survivors to transfer SBP eligibility to children. Key issues which remain at issue are: Senate provision would implement 30 year paid-up SBP as of Oct. 1, 2006 instead of waiting for 2008 (nothing in House version); the Senate bill would end the deduction of the VA's Dependency and Indemnity Compensation from SBP when the member's death was caused by service (nothing in House version). To get negotiations going and an acceptable bill out, thoughts are that they will not have reached final decisions before Oct. 1, the start of the new fiscal year. In four of the last six years, the defense bill was not finished until December, well into the next fiscal year. Some postulate that an earlier start this election year could mean a more timely action. Whatever happens will be interesting to watch.
By passing the FY-2007 Military Quality of Life Appropriation, the House Appropriations Committee tore a $735 million hole in the DoD Health Program by rejecting Rep. Chet Edwards amendment. Without these dollars, DoD health will certainly run out of money early.
This still isn't a dead issue, as the Senate can take up this issue of funding gap. The House's Bill included funding VA Medical Services at $25.4 billion, $2.6 billion above last year's figure, but $100 million below the president's request
The Department of Veteran's Affairs says that the stolen laptop computer possibly containing your personal data along with millions of others has been recovered. The FBI is at present trying to determine if the data had been compromised, The VA has just issued a new warning of a "phishing" scam that targets veterans who may be worried that their VA data was stolen. This involves Internet fraudsters who send mass e-mails or pop-up messages asking unsuspecting recipients to provide personal information like credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security number, passwords or other sensitive information so that the scammer can "check" whether their data has been compromised. Some come from abuse@vba.va.gov and ask the recipient to check an account by clicking a link. The VA has no such e-mail address and the link in the e-mail is in Asia. Don't get caught. Everyone should know better than to give out such information. If you do receive a suspicious e-mail, do not open it, delete immediately.
The new civilian commissary chief should have a longer term than his previous military chiefs. The newly named Director of the Defense Commissary Agency is Patrick Nixon. He had been acting director for two years and Chief Executive Officer since 2001. At the top of his priority list is to find ways to work more closely with other military stores, which could eventually come to having commissary and exchange in the same building (but not combined into one facility). He will be pushing for better produce, and will be capitalizing on technology. His plans include reshaping the commissary work force so its employees can perform a number of jobs. Nixon is from the A&P food stores originally, however since 1983 he has worked with the Army Troop Support Agency and the Marine Corps commissary operation before they were combined into the Joint Defense Commissary Agency. He feels ultimately responsible for making sure the commissary remains a viable benefit.
The VA still seems to be having trouble getting patients in for their first medical exam. In April 2005 there were 15,211 waiting. Recently the number has climbed to 30,475 and the number of disability cases awaiting adjudication is also a sorry figure: In April 2006 the number was 372,328. This is the highest figure since 2003 for those waiting more than 180 days being 95,529. Critics are calling for increased funds to meet these demands, for our aging population as well as newest wounded and disabled veterans returning from conflicts. They say some of this delay is due to improper paperwork, however it appears that a major factor is that of insufficient funds to meet the demands.
There is still an outcry from the American Medical Association and retiree groups about the proposed 4.7 percent cut in Medicare physician reimbursement rates. If something isn't done to stop this, it will cause beneficiaries more problems finding a physician willing to accept Tricare patients. These rates directly tie to Medicare rates by law, and Medicare and Tricare remain among the lowest-paying insurance plans in the country. As physician reimbursement rates lag farther and farther behind actual practice costs, the situation is just going to get worse. As an example, a survey run earlier in the year spelled the worrisome figure of 45 percent of physicians planning to decrease or stop seeing new Medicare and 43 percent plan the same action for Tricare patients if these payments do begin in 2007.
More drugs are being moved to the third tier as follows: Anzamet, Seasonale, Ovacon-35, Ovacon-50, Estrostep FEG, Lyrica,Cmbatla, Lexapro, Paxil CR, Prozac Weekly, Sarafem, Wellbutin XL, Detrol, Oxytrol, Sanctura, Lexxel and Tarka. The list gets bigger and bigger, the formulary smaller and smaller.
Quality of life is critical for disabled veterans to maneuver around their house. Even if they qualify for Department of VA, the grants usually do not cover the expenses of modifying their home. The International Code Council Foundation has begun a nonprofit project called HERO (Homes Eliminated of Restrictions and Obstacles) free to veterans to help make their home more accessible. The project brings together building officials, architects, engineers, businesses and other volunteers to provide this benefit. Several groups are already helping build homes accessible for wounded veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. But the project does expand the concept to veterans of any wars who have disabilities that limit their way of life. Pilot programs are being started around the country by organizing state coordinators.
|
|
