Content Manager posted on August 11, 2009 13:07
Do Not Change TRICARE, TRS, Medicare, or VA benefits
As Congress enters its month-long August recess, I want to offer our AUSN perspective on national health care reform and its possible implications for you and all members of the military and veterans community and their families and survivors.
We take positions on issues. We devote our limited resources to addressing issues that directly affect our national defense, the military and veterans' community.
Our primary focus is on the phase of the draft health care legislation that may affect you and the military community- military and VA health care, TRICARE Reserve Select, TRICARE, Medicare, and TRICARE for Life.
Our advocacy efforts on national health care reform are targeted at these primary goals:
- Safeguarding military, Active, Guard, and Reserve, and VA health benefits;
- Ensuring military and VA beneficiaries aren't taxed in any way on the value of those health benefits;
- Preserving and improving military and VA beneficiaries' access to providers of quality health care;
- Ensuring long-term sustainment of Medicare (and TRICARE For Life) - and a fix for the broken
- Medicare payment formula that now poses annual threats of significant cuts that would erode providers' willingness to see Medicare and any TRICARE beneficiaries;
- Keeping our members apprised of how pending legislation could affect them and encouraging grassroots communications to their elected representatives to protect their interests.
We've sent a letter to every member of Congress, and we hope you send letters, emails, and call to your legislators using our alert.
The bottom line: We will continue communicating with you, so we can let you know what we are working on and you can tell us what your concerns are. We assure you AUSN will continue to be extraordinarily vigilant on this front. I encourage you to use our alerts to keep pressure on Congress to protect your interests. And please visit with elected officials www.house.gov, or www.senate.gov during this August recess.
H.R. 3200 - full report
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/media/pdf/111/AAHCA09001xml.pdf
http://help.senate.gov/BAI09A84_xml.pdf
What about Medicare and TRICARE for Life?
Nobody can be certain what the effects will be at this point, because there are already four 1,000-page bills on the table and at least three more still to come.
Again; keep the pressure on Congress to protect your interest. Use our CAPWIZ - contact Congress to let them know - your wishes.