I got a call the other night from my Limbaugh baby. His uncle, a retired member of the U.S. Navy, had called him to obtain contact information for me. "John" (not his real name) wanted to point me in the direction of an article he had received from military.com concerning increases in premium rates for active and retired members of the military.
TRICARE, the insurance company through which our military members receive benefits,
is slated to increase premiums on the dental plans for 1.9 million members of all branches of our armed forces. The increase is going to take effect on February 1.From military.com:
The monthly premium for an active duty family member single plan will increase from $12.12 to $12.69 and the monthly family plan premium will increase from $30.29 to $31.72. The National Guard and Reserve monthly sponsor premium will increase from $12.12 to $12.69. The monthly single premium rate for an Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) sponsor plan and the separate IRR single family member plan will increase from $30.29 to $31.72.
One definitely has to ask about the timing of all of this. Legitimate questions have been raised about how Obamacare is going to be paid for, and it appears that this is going to be the start. If ANYONE deserves to have free, outstanding healthcare for life, it is our veterans who served and continue to serve honorably. Instead, they are being hit to help give healthcare to illegals and fund abortions for the feministas (It's their eucharist).The increases seem insignificant on the surface, but when you consider that 1.9 million members are enrolled, it adds up to millions of dollars going to pay for Medicaid increases in Nebraska.
Also at issue is the payment to providers within the healthcare legislation that passed the Senate. What's that you say? They mentioned nothing about cutting provider payments to TRICARE? Technically, you are correct. But it's complicated.
Remember McCain railing against the cuts to Medicare providers stuffed in the 1000+ pages of the Senate bill? Guess what. TRICARE provider payments flow from Medicare.
From a 2006 article slamming payment cuts in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin:
"....Tricare, the federal health service program, links its payment rates to Medicare, AMA points out." [emphasis mine--B & G]
So when Medicare is cut, TRICARE is cut. Great way to treat our military personnel
for their sacrifices, eh? It makes me sick to see the military treated this way.When payments to providers are cut, there will be no incentive to accept TRICARE, thus reducing the number of available physicians. Law of supply and demand will then bring the unthinkable: rationing of care. If I'm wrong, I hope someone out there can correct me.
We always sensed that Obama, Pelosi, Reid, and their ilk always had some axe to grind with our military, and now it appears that they're ready to make our brave soldiers the first casualty in their fight for socialized medicine.
And now on to the next issue...
COLA (Cost of Living Adjustments) for military personnel stationed within the continental United States (CONUS) are set to drop this year. That's right. While the price of everything is going up in this country, we're not going to raise payments to our troops stationed here. In fact, as stated above, military members are set to pay more for insurance premiums while not getting a COLA.
From military.com:
CONUS COLA Set to Drop in 2010
Week of January 04, 2010
The Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) rates for locations within the continental United States (CONUS) will drop for almost everyone in 2010. New York, Staten Island, and Detroit are among the few locations set to increase. In addition, Joliet Army Depot and West Point have been added to the list of COLA eligible Military Housing Areas (MHA), while NAVTRACEN [Naval Training Center] Great Lakes, Fitchburg, Mass., Lake Tahoe, Nev., and more than 20 rural areas in California have been taken off the list for 2010. COLA is determined by several cost of living factors for each given MHA. The Consumer Price Index dropped in 2009, meaning the cost of living in most regions of the U.S. dropped, which is reflected in the reduced 2010 CONUS COLA rates. Check out the Military.com COLA Calculator to see how much you may get in 2010.
I'd love to know how they calculated a drop in the cost of living in most of the U.S. because it sounds like fuzzy math. I know that personally, we have seen our electric bill, our taxes, heating oil, and food bill go up. And living in Pennsylvania is cheap compared to a lot of other parts of the country.
Look at the locations of the few areas set to receive COLA's. New York, Staten Island, and West Point are all in the state of New York, a normally blue state as is Michigan, where Detroit will also see a COLA for military families. But it's GOT to be a huge co-inky-dink, right? Or maybe it's my paranoia showing. The Dems are the party of transparency and honesty, right?
While I pray every night for our troops, I'll be tossing in a few extra ones in light of the way this administration is slated to treat them.
To Obama, Pelosi, Reid, and minions: To treat our military this way and call yourselves patriotic is the epitome of hypocrisy. Because of the sacrifices these brave people make, you have had the freedom you now enjoy that you want to take away from everyone else. None of you have served your country honorably and are a disgrace to everything our military has fought for over past generations. May God
have mercy on your souls. Oops...you don't have any. Never mind.
(Special thanks to "John" for the tip and for serving our country well. We love you and your fellow soldiers out here!!!)
UPDATE: Libertarian Republican is also running this in part. Stop over by clicking on the link below the header!
I've also sent the link to Beck, Rush, and Hannity. I hope this gets out for the sake of our soldiers.
I'd love to know how they calculated a drop in the cost of living in most of the U.S. because it sounds like fuzzy math. I know that personally, we have seen our electric bill, our taxes, heating oil, and food bill go up. And living in Pennsylvania is cheap compared to a lot of other parts of the country.Look at the locations of the few areas set to receive COLA's. New York, Staten Island, and West Point are all in the state of New York, a normally blue state as is Michigan, where Detroit will also see a COLA for military families. But it's GOT to be a huge co-inky-dink, right? Or maybe it's my paranoia showing. The Dems are the party of transparency and honesty, right?
While I pray every night for our troops, I'll be tossing in a few extra ones in light of the way this administration is slated to treat them.
To Obama, Pelosi, Reid, and minions: To treat our military this way and call yourselves patriotic is the epitome of hypocrisy. Because of the sacrifices these brave people make, you have had the freedom you now enjoy that you want to take away from everyone else. None of you have served your country honorably and are a disgrace to everything our military has fought for over past generations. May God
have mercy on your souls. Oops...you don't have any. Never mind.(Special thanks to "John" for the tip and for serving our country well. We love you and your fellow soldiers out here!!!)
UPDATE: Libertarian Republican is also running this in part. Stop over by clicking on the link below the header!
I've also sent the link to Beck, Rush, and Hannity. I hope this gets out for the sake of our soldiers.
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