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Title: Veterans Benefits: Lawmakers Open To Changes In Military Benefits
Source:
Associated Press
URL Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/ ... erans-benefits-_n_1026320.html
Published: Oct 22, 2011
Author: Associated Press
Post Date: 2011-10-22 12:21:29 by Brian S
Keywords: None
Views: 6657
Comments: 18
WASHINGTON -- The government's promise of lifetime health care for the military's men and women is suddenly a little less sacrosanct as Congress looks to slash trillion-dollar-plus deficits. Republicans and Democrats alike are signaling a willingness – unheard of at the height of two post-Sept. 11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – to make military retirees pay more for coverage. It's a reflection of Washington's newfound embrace of fiscal austerity and the Pentagon's push to cut health care costs that have skyrocketed from $19 billion in 2001 to $53 billion. The numbers are daunting for a military focused on building and arming an all-volunteer force for war. The Pentagon is providing health care coverage for 3.3 million active duty personnel and their dependents and 5.5 million retirees, eligible dependents and surviving spouses. Retirees outnumber the active duty, 2.3 million to 1.4 million. Combined with the billions in retirement pay, it's no surprise that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta recently said personnel costs have put the Pentagon "on an unsustainable course." Yet the resistance to health care changes is fierce. Powerful veterans groups and retired generals are mobilizing to fight any changes, arguing that Americans who were willing to die for their country should be treated differently than the average worker. The American Legion has sent a letter to every member of the House and Senate pleading with them to spare health care benefits. The Veterans of Foreign Wars has urged its 2 million members, their families and friends to contact lawmakers and deliver the same message. The two groups were unnerved when both parties' leaders on the Senate Armed Services Committee – Carl Levin, D-Mich., and John McCain, R-Ariz. – recommended that the special deficit-cutting supercommittee look at raising enrollment fees and imposing restrictions on the military's health care program, known as TRICARE. Current military members would be grandfathered in. McCain and Levin also favored creating a commission to look at military retirement benefits and make recommendations for changes. "Any changes to TRICARE that put the burden back on the beneficiaries is not supported by the American Legion," said Peter Gaytan, the group's executive director. He wondered about future benefits for his 19-year-old nephew who heads to Afghanistan in December. The willingness in Congress to consider cost-cutting changes to the military's entitlement programs is shared by other senators, from members of the Armed Services panel to budget-conscious lawmakers in both the Republican and Democratic ranks such as Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Mark Warner, D-Va. "I think we have to look at whether savings can be achieved, but we have to keep our promise to people who were recruited based on those benefits, and we also ought to look at whether there's ways to improve the benefit structure," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said in an interview last week. That prospect has Joe Davis, a spokesman for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, fearful of the next step. "All our worries are starting to come to fruition," Davis said. The debt accord reached this past summer between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans set in motion some $450 billion worth of cuts in projected defense spending over 10 years. It's a reality check for the Defense Department, whose budget has nearly doubled to some $700 billion in the 10 years since the Sept. 11 terror attack. That amount doesn't include the trillion-plus spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The 12-member, bipartisan supercommittee has a mandate to come up with at least $1.2 trillion in cuts by Nov. 23. If it fails to produce a plan or Congress rejects its proposal, automatic, across-the-board cuts of $1.2 trillion kick in, half of it from defense spending. Panetta said $600 billion more in cuts over the next decade atop the $450 billion in cuts passed this summer would represent a "doomsday" for the nation's military. Republicans and Democrats have echoed his apocalyptic warning. In their separate letters to the supercommittee, Levin and McCain said they reject any deeper cuts in overall defense spending beyond the 10-year, $450 billion cuts. Determined to avoid spending reductions that would hit troop numbers, aircraft, ships and weapons, Levin, McCain and other lawmakers are urging budget-cutters to scrutinize the military entitlement programs. "I think they may be facing reality and want to soften the blow some," said former Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., who served as House Armed Services chairman. "They're both very responsible when it comes to the troops." Levin and McCain support establishing an annual enrollment fee for TRICARE for Life, the health care program that now has no fee for participation. Obama had proposed an initial annual fee of $200. Levin said future increases in fees should be tied to the same index used to determine hikes in the TRICARE Prime program, which has the lowest out-of-pocked expenses. McCain also urged the supercommittee to consider restricting working-age military retirees and their dependents from enrolling in TRICARE Prime. The retirees could still enroll in other TRICARE programs. McCain pointed out that the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that such a move would save $111 billion over 10 years. Active-duty personnel still would be enrolled in the program automatically. In the House, lawmakers are less inclined to make any changes in health care benefits. Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, agreed to a slight increase in TRICARE Prime fees for working-age military retirees. The fees had been unchanged for 11 years at $230 a year for an individual and $460 for a family. Asked about the recommendations from Levin and McCain to the supercommittee, McKeon's office said the House has already made changes and suggested additional savings come from civilian rather military health care and retirement programs. The House vote to raise the annual TRICARE Prime fees by $2.50 for individuals and $5 for families.
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#1. To: Brian S, sneakypete (#0)
ping
Anybody that enlists in the military to be assigned to one of the "sharp end of the spear" jobs is a bleeping idiot. Enlist to get the GI Bill. Enlist to learn a trade and be paid while doing it. Don NOT enlist to fight,though.
"It is impossible to talk reason with those who can only parrot Party Slogans." sneakypete Sept 2011 Stay Hungry...Stay Foolish --Steve Jobs Steve Jobs,life-long Dim,and major Barry Soetoro supporter.
Enlist to get the GI Bill. Enlist to learn a trade and be paid while doing it. Don NOT enlist to fight,though." And how. You are absolutely spot on here. I had a buddy enlist in the Oregon Guard. he was my primary ground support person on many tree sits and was inspired by my stories and pictures I showed him. He had a young man's bemused air about my consternation about him enlisting. I told him, "You well be going to war in Iraq." (This was right when Smirk and Snarl got in office.) He told me he was much too smart for that to happen. Needless to say, I was right. He had things happen like watching the Haliburton contractor empty the porta potties in the cantonment latrine areas and drive to dump the raw sewage in the river. Being a good, liberal and caring Oregonian he went up to do a, "What the fuck" to the guy explaining the local kids fished and swam there. The guy responded, "Listen, my dawg in Tennesee has more right to a spot on this Earth then them hadji raghead vermin." He was also manning a checkpoint where a car came at him too fast and he squeezed off a three round burst of 5.56 NATO cartrige rounds center mass into the driver. He then franticly spent the time before the death rattle came from his throat trying to save him getting his arms extremely bloody with the guy's wife and little girl running around in a panic screaming frantically. He sits in his apartment in Portland hating life not wanting to do anything. he has extremely bad PTSD. He told me shortly after he came back, "My God, I wish to Hell you had slapped me and screamed the out what you warned before. It was true" (paraphrase)
I've been saying for years now that if I ever had a son and he wanted to enlist to become SF,a Ranger,or anything similar that I would mess him up so bad he would never be able to pass the physical. And meant it.
"It is impossible to talk reason with those who can only parrot Party Slogans." sneakypete Sept 2011 Stay Hungry...Stay Foolish --Steve Jobs Steve Jobs,life-long Dim,and major Barry Soetoro supporter.
He then franticly spent the time before the death rattle came from his throat trying to save him getting his arms extremely bloody with the guy's wife and little girl running around in a panic screaming frantically. He sits in his apartment in Portland hating life not wanting to do anything. he has extremely bad PTSD. He told me shortly after he came back, "My God, I wish to Hell you had slapped me and screamed the out what you warned before. It was true" (paraphrase) Watched a documentary on Iraq where they focused on the chaos of the first years of occupation....how soldiers adjusted to the reality of the ever changing ROE etc. One soldier cut up several Iraqi family groups in cars and on foot
When the Iraq war started. I started taping on VHS. I have a box of tapes in the basement somewhere. I'll have to go through them someday and maybe put some stuff on youtube.
Am a History fanatic... Its been redone in broader vision format and digi upgrade.
So instead of curbing disgressionary spending that is putting this country over $1 trillion in the hole every year, they want to cut benefits for those that keep this country free..... bunch of phucking douchebags..... I guess turtle crossings and taking care of dumb phucking liberals and millions of illegal aliens is "MUCH MORE" important!!!!!
"CHANGE" you can step in..... --
Johny Horton......looked at his bio on Wiki for the first time [double check some songs] I'm a Big Webb Wilder Fan......wonder what Johnny Horton would think of Webbs style : )
There's links to more songs on the tube after.
Ok,I didn't know any of that stuff about Johnny Horton,other than he was a big star himself during the early 60's.
"It is impossible to talk reason with those who can only parrot Party Slogans." sneakypete Sept 2011 Stay Hungry...Stay Foolish --Steve Jobs Steve Jobs,life-long Dim,and major Barry Soetoro supporter.
It's late here on the east coast,but why not start a music thread with those songs and ping us to it?
"It is impossible to talk reason with those who can only parrot Party Slogans." sneakypete Sept 2011 Stay Hungry...Stay Foolish --Steve Jobs Steve Jobs,life-long Dim,and major Barry Soetoro supporter.
In the future I will try to participate more in music threads. LP is becoming a burden.......end of days. Am mostly off on Ancient History/Electric Universe sites..... and following the shit via some Military forums.
Good to see you are here. Yup, Sally's pop stand is a dying enterprise.
Mostly lurked at LP Its hard to sit by and read all the LOLAY's while America gets rolled by the Bankers. I do not have issues with others having personal Faith. and ya.....just war forever... They blame the Democrats for hindering America's war effort.
LOL! man, that was a great thumbnail scetch of that place. I don't ever bother looking at that place. Sally should hang up her hat as a forum 'host.' The place is just a waste of bandwidth.
I have a hunch the site is a data mining hub. Its part of the spider web/grid.... Ohh!...the frog jumped!,...no...wait,...its asleep again There are some gatekeepers there pushing War Forever and Zionism for sure. Its kinda fun to watch them twist when you show them that Palestine homeland for the Jews was created by the British East India Co [Levant]...as leverage against France,Egypt and Damascus.
#2. To: Ferret Mike (#1)
#3. To: sneakypete (#2)
(Edited)
"Anybody that enlists in the military to be assigned to one of the "sharp end of the spear" jobs is a bleeping idiot.
#4. To: Ferret Mike (#3)
He told me shortly after he came back, "My God, I wish to Hell you had slapped me and screamed the out what you warned before. It was true" (paraphrase)
#5. To: Ferret Mike (#3)
He was also manning a checkpoint where a car came at him too fast and he squeezed off a three round burst of 5.56 NATO cartrige rounds center mass into the driver.
as they continued to approach his checkpoint,....
He discovered that to the Iraqi,....an upraised arm/straight up beside you head with hand motion means a gesture of peace/friendship/security,...as body language goes.
The soldiers raised their arms to get the Iraqi's attention,
The Iraqi's drove or ran towards the gesture,...until they were slaughtered.
some of the soldiers experiencing this and as your friend,...handling the torn up and dead,....has mauled their minds for this life.
#6. To: Parrot with speed dial (#5)
Watched a documentary on Iraq where they focused on the chaos of the first years of occupation....how soldiers adjusted to the reality of the ever changing ROE etc.
#7. To: A K A Stone (#6)
(Edited)
When the Iraq war started. I started taping on VHS. I have a box of tapes in the basement somewhere. I'll have to go through them someday and maybe put some stuff on youtube.
so ya....hundreds of DVD,Blueray,VHS on wars,battles etc.
Ordered Waterloo short time ago on DVD from a broker in Virginia,...who brokers movies from England that are non main publisher.
am looking to get the Movie....Battle of The River Plate [Graf Spee...Anthony Quayle and Peter Finch. In the United States the film was retitled Pursuit of the Graf Spee.]
Went on a WW-2 Forum which was run by Germans who ...WW-2 is still running : )
I posted on how Graf Spee's Captain Hans Langsdorff screwed up....and gave the allies the Propaganda kodak win image of burning hulk of Graf Spee.....[First* - Naval battle of WW-2]
Graf Spee's fuel cleaning system was shot,...but they had fuel to break out and fight.
They had torpedo's...along with both main turrets guns....which had already mauled all the British Ships chasing them.
Well....the Krauts went Ballistic and said I wasn't thinking clearly,...Langsdorff's situation was hopeless,....why sacrifice further?
Posted on how Graf Spee could break out at dusk with the British ships in the setting daylight,
fire at both blocking cruiser from the greater distance advantage of my guns
drive both cruisers by gunfire into higher speed,
and then pick the aft direction of the one furtherst away,....and run the gap.
then fire my torpedo's....as i head towards the darkening night.
if they pursue...they pursue,....but now I have them silhouette in the setting light,....I have the gun distance range and torpedo's to keep them from tracking at high speed.
One German poster and then another said that ...this could have worked.
Then some more UBER types posted to slap this down and get the Reich back in line : )
so ya...I enjoy history for the what could have been,...and the technical/ tactical side of history....and of course...the person or group of the moment who writes the glory...their Nation will now fawn over.
During WW-2.///Japans Long Lance Torpedo's devastated US warships.....one could blow the bow and 2 turrets off a Cruiser
Did the Japanese realize this?....ya....but doctrine was to attack with ships guns....even in the night.
You look back on this and ponder how command could be so stupid.
Japans subs had Long Lance,...their DD's and even Cruisers.
Japans sub force was pathetic!
From Iraq....all the way back in time......FUBAR/ROE : )
#8. To: Brian S (#0)
(Edited)
McCain pointed out that the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that such a move would save $111 billion over 10 years.
My dogs have created more shovel ready jobs than the self appointed Messiah!!!
#9. To: Parrot with speed dial (#7)
#10. To: Ferret Mike, sneakypete (#9)
sad....killed by a drunk driver.
He chummed around with some big stars..... Johnny Cash, Faron Young, Roy Orbison,
wiki says:
He loved fishing as much as, if not more than, singing and was once billed as The Singing Fisherman. His favorite fishing holes were in the Piney Woods of East Texas and in northern Louisiana. His other passion was spiritualism and he was devoted to the writings of spiritualist Edgar Cayce.
#11. To: Ferret Mike, sneakypete (#10)
Jumpin Jack Flash rendition is really good
#12. To: Parrot with speed dial (#10)
#13. To: Parrot with speed dial (#11)
There's links to more songs on the tube after. Jumpin Jack Flash rendition is really good
#14. To: sneakypete (#13)
It's late here on the east coast,but why not start a music thread with those songs and ping us to it?
#15. To: Parrot with speed dial (#14)
"LP is becoming a burden.......end of days."
#16. To: Ferret Mike (#15)
But when you see the numbers of Christians on the site....start go cannibal on each other,....saying so and so does not know god,..is not filled with the holy spirit.....is going to hell ...still.
then they ALL* return to do it anew the next day.
will not admit the Bush wars have run the nation into a steep ditch which is filling with water,...and it rains everyday [game over]
They go on Barky Obama....but its because he's Black.
Few will admit his and his family [Mothers side]...CIA cut out history.
like if Democrats did not control congress..or the Whitehouse,....America would have better wars...and less debt.
well ya....thats just insane!
#17. To: Parrot with speed dial (#16)
#18. To: Ferret Mike (#17)
I don't ever bother looking at that place. Sally should hang up her hat as a forum 'host.' The place is just a waste of bandwidth.
The info returns from views,posting,..... reveals public response to the Boiling water level.
and ya....Rothschild wanted the Suez Canal.
silence....when they are shown the Masonic Judiciary of the nation.
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