For Immediate Release:
Friday, January 27, 2006

WASHINGTON D.C - U.S. Representative Dan Boren yesterday urged the Bush Administration to reconsider a proposal that would raise health care costs for military retirees.  Boren said he would oppose the proposal, which some say could force as many as 600,000 military retirees from TRICARE. 

 

In a January 26 letter to President Bush, Boren said he found the proposal “extremely worrisome” and asked that it be withdrawn. 

 

“I feel these changes are an unnecessary burden on our nation’s retired heroes,” Boren said.

 

It has been reported that DoD’s proposal includes the enactment of a first-time TRICARE standard enrollment fee, and an increase in health care deductibles and pharmacy co-payments. If made official, the increases would be phased in between 2006 and 2009.       

 

“The proposed fee increases would double fees for enlisted military retirees and triple the fees for their officer counterparts.  Is this how we repay our nation’s military retirees and their families?” Boren said. 

 

“It’s important that we strive toward fiscal accountability, but we cannot balance the budget on the backs of our nation’s servicemen and women – especially at a time when recruitment is down and our forces are already stretched thin,” Boren said.  

 

Boren worries that such proposals, combined with gradually declining veteran benefits, will slow recruitment even further.  Earlier this week, General George Casey, the top U.S. General in Iraq, acknowledged to reporters that American forces are “stretched” due to large deployments in the Middle East.     

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