Military.com reported last week that one of the proposals on the table for cutting the Defense Department budget is to increase the cost of TRICARE for the military. TRICARE is the health care program serving Uniformed Service members, retirees and their families worldwide.
The article reports:
"But (Defense Secretary Robert) Gates insisted that the changes (increases) will "better align the department with the rest of the country," and strengthen the military health care system in the long run. The new TRICARE fees are expected to be included in the fiscal 2012 defense budget proposal, to be unveiled next month."
TRICARE is the medical program that is free to active duty military and their families. Retired military and their surviving spouses and families have to pay the yearly charge. I have a few problems with this statement. first of all, a young enlisted man makes about $1,600 a month. For this he has to put up with separations from his family, no input on where he will live, no input on when he will work and when he will not. He also has to deal with nights that he will be away from his family because he is standing watch somewhere. He has no assurance that he will be able to spend holidays with his family or be there for the birth of his children. If he does this for 20 years, he is eligible for TRICARE at a cost of $460 a year for the basic family plan. Secretary Gates wants to bring this cost closer to what is paid in the private sector. NO WAY!!! If you are going to bring the costs up to the private sector, how about increasing the pay of the military up to the private sector and letting them work 40 hours a week and be home with their families? These people do not retire from the private sector--they retire from the military. They make personal and family sacrifices for twenty years in the service of their country. Let's honor them--not try to cut the Defense Department budget on their backs!
I hope everyone reading this will send an email to their Congressman (or woman) saying what a really bad idea this is. Are we an ungrateful country for the sacrifices these people have made?
P. S. I am not a military spouse. I was a Navy wife for a few years, but that was a long time ago. If there are any factual errors in this article that a current military person or spouse sees, please leave a comment or contact me.
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