Veterans gt screwed by Da Dims, again

[SuperScout]

Just Foolin' on 21% Medicare/TRICARE Cut?

With a 21% cut in Medicare and TRICARE payments to doctors coming on Monday, March 1, unless Congress changes current law, Congress seems to be preparing to act - temporarily.

[With this 21% cut in reimburable costs to providers, the quality of the care for retirees is going to decline. Don't be too surprised if some doctors start refusing to treat TRICARE patients, as they will also start to decline treating Medicare patients.]

Because senators haven't been able to agree on a longer-term fix yet, the latest plan would extend the deadline one month -- until April Fool's Day - [the irony is not lost on the aware!] to gain more time to win consensus. House leaders have cleared the way to pass the measure after the Senate does so, likely sometime this weekend. The Senate already would have cleared it earlier this week by a "unanimous consent" procedure, but Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) objected. So now the Senate has to go through a lengthier formal process.

[darrels joy]

VA, Tricare Protection Promises Need Repeating
Today at 1:36pm

Washington March 19, 2010 — The nation's largest and oldest major combat veterans' organization will be watching intently this Sunday when the House of Representatives meets to push through a national healthcare bill.

"We have been repeatedly promised by the president and by senior congressional leaders that the healthcare programs provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the military's Tricare system will remain intact," said Thomas J. Tradewell Sr., the national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. and its Auxiliaries.

"Yet I remain worried because a free press and an even freer Internet continue to fuel speculation that both systems could be lost and/or absorbed into a larger national healthcare plan," said Tradewell, a combat-wounded Vietnam veteran from Sussex, Wis.

In congressional testimony March 9 before a joint hearing of the Senate and House Committees on Veterans Affairs, Tradewell told committee members that "America's veterans and military retirees look to you — our champions in Congress — to protect both programs, and to do so vocally at every opportunity."

Doing so today was Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, who introduced H.R. 4887 to explicitly state in law that Tricare and other Defense Department nonappropriated fund health plans are protected from any health reforms currently under consideration by Congress.

“Our nation’s military provides us with first-class protection, and it is our obligation to provide them — and their families — with first-class healthcare in return," said Skelton, who received the VFW's 2010 Congressional Award last week.

"Not knowing is what scares people who have worn the uniform," said Tradewell. "Now is the time for the president and the leadership to step up and reiterate their promises to protect the VA and Tricare systems."

[SuperScout]

Here's my prediciton: if Obamacare-less passes - God forbid - the veterans will start seeing diminished quality of care in fewer doctors accepting Medicare and TriCare, as is already happening. For those veterans who use a civilian pharmacy, Walgreens has already indicated that they will stop accepting Medicare 'scripts, meaning us veterans will have to be paying more. So how's that hopey-changey sh*t working out for you now?

[darrels joy]

"We have been repeatedly promised by the president and by senior congressional leaders

Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.),

introduced H.R. 4887

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to ensure that health coverage provided by the Department of Defense is treated as minimal essential coverage.

This bill is in the first step in the legislative process. Introduced bills and resolutions first go to committees that deliberate, investigate, and revise them before they go to general debate. The majority of bills and resolutions never make it out of committee. [Last Updated: Mar 20, 2010 6:42AM]
Last Action:	Mar 19, 2010: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-4887



A BILL

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to ensure that health coverage provided by the Department of Defense is treated as minimal essential coverage.

• Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. TREATMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE HEALTH COVERAGE AS MINIMAL ESSENTIAL COVERAGE.

• (a) In General- Section 5000A(f)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as added by section 1501(b) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, is amended--

• • (1) by striking clause (iv) and inserting the following new clause:

• • • • `(iv) medical coverage under chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code, including coverage under the TRICARE program;';

• • (2) by striking `or' at the end of clause (v);

• • (3) by striking the period at the end of clause (vi) and inserting `; or'; and

• • (4) by inserting after clause (vi) the following new clause:

• • • • `(vii) the Nonappropriated Fund Health Benefits Program of the Department of Defense, established under section 349 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995 (Public Law 103-337; 10 U.S.C. 1587 note).'.

• (b) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section shall take effect as if included in section 1501(b) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and shall be executed immediately after the amendments made by such section 1501(b).

• http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.4887:

• Mr. SKELTON (for himself, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Ms. BORDALLO, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mr. NYE, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Ms. PINGREE of Maine, Mr. LOEBSACK, Ms. GIFFORDS, Mr. REYES, Mr. BOREN, Mr. KISSELL, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. ORTIZ, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mr. TAYLOR, and Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

• __________________________________________________ __

And these people expect to get the veterans vote even though it is NOT part of the bill being considered but is another bill being offered to change the horrible bill being considered today.

Even as written, it will only mean that we will not be taxed on our cadillac plan, TriCare.

What happened to our VFW, American Legion, Disabled Veterans organizations?