Obama to cut medical benefits for active, retired military, not union workers

Well which do you want to see? Military medical benefit cuts or Romney's "Big Bird" and other entitlement cuts? There are just some things that should not be cut. The majority of military folks don't exactly make all that wonderful wages. Plus what if they get severely wounded while in service, and can't work a normal job? Where will they get all the extra money to pay the new premium rates? This is going to create hardships.

And Obama will do it. Medicare has already been cut by $200 billion over 10 years (bandaid applied so seniors don't notice this prior to the election). Welcome to Obamacare.

Military personnel would see their annual Tricare premiums increase anywhere from 30 - 78 percent in the first year, followed by sharply increased premiums "ranging from 94 percent to 345 percent—more than 3 times current levels."

The move, congressional aides suggested, is to force those individuals into Obamacare, Bill Gertz reported at the Washington Beacon

Obama to cut medical benefits for active, retired military, not union workers

welcome to the utopia.

where everything is perfect.

perfectly F#$%^D

reply to post by elouina


Look at the articles date. 28 Feb 2012.

This idea has already been denied by Congress, though if he is re-elected, you can expect to see it raise it's ugly head again.

reply to post by elouina

"According to congressional assessments, a retired Army colonel with a family currently paying $460 a year for health care will pay $2,048," Gertz wrote.

Damn... that's one hell of an increase!!

How much more disrespectful can they be towards the military?

And that's the gratitude they get for serving their country??
Shameful.....

How about cutting the entitlements in half to those that DO NOT contribute a thing to society.

reply to post by elouina


Im in favor of cutting the federal governments benefiets, from the President, to Congress, to all the political minions of any party who value themselves over those who have served this nation.

Before anyone tries to make the argument, Congress and the President dont serve the nation - they rape it any chance they get.

Originally posted by Xcathdra
reply to post by elouina

 

Im in favor of cutting the federal governments benefiets, from the President, to Congress, to all the political minions of any party who value themselves over those who have served this nation.

Before anyone tries to make the argument, Congress and the President dont serve the nation - they rape it any chance they get.

Point well taken....

None of them have offered, nor will they, to take a decrease in their pay or drop any of their benefits.

Let's see....how much would our country save if we cut all their pay in half.......$$ A LOT $$

reply to post by TDawgRex


Your right, I didn't notice this. But I just heard about this from some military folks that are truely concerned. So they must not feel like they are in the clear yet. And yes Obama likely will push it again after the elections sometime. Obama never takes no as an answer. We all knows this, supporters and non supporters alike.

reply to post by elouina


Since I am a retired Vet, I tend to keep my eye on these types of things.

One of the ways they tried to sell it was that all current retirees would keep their benefits and that this bill would only affect people enlisting. Like you're going to attract a lot of people by giving them no benefits, but yet still send them into harms way?

The VFW, American Legion and other Veterans groups raised enough cain to shelve this idea...for now.

There are people in the Pentagon who actually supported this idea. But of course they are Colonels and Generals and really wouldn't be affected by a cost increase as much, if at all.

Most retirees are enlisted.

Originally posted by TDawgRex
reply to post by elouina

 

Since I am a retired Vet, I tend to keep my eye on these types of things.

Thank you for your service..

reply to post by Xcathdra


Thank you, though that statement has a tendancy to make me feel uneasy. After all, I volunteered.

That probably explains why I go out of my way to thank or buy a meal for draftees.

And I'll buy Cops, FireFighters, EMTs coffee when I see them. To me, they are the true heros as they face danger daily.

Back on topic, I proposed to my Congressman that a voluntary retiree buyout be implemented.

Cash out retirement at 20-25% of what would be sent to the retiree over 20 years. If the retiree opted for it, they would recieve one lump sum check, tax-free and the monthly checks would stop. They would still recieve VA benefits and GI Bill, just no more monthly.

Never even got a form letter back.

That money will end up back in the economy. Maybe a small business would be started, Debt paid off, etc.

Being Military myself...

Non-disabled vets get super cheap family medical coverage. Active duty members get free medical for themselves and family members. Dental is fairly cheap also - but does cost more in co-payments.

As for most military members not getting paid good enough - today, a 6 year enlistee with a family, gets more in pay and benefits almost equal to a new school teacher, the day after they leave their tech-school...and much is not expected of them within the first 2 years after that. The same 6 year enlistee also gets way more in pay and benefits than a county deputy...that deputy puts his/her life on the line every single day while the military member does it 6 months out of the year on average...but the military member gets paid more during that 6 months.

The DoD needs to 'even' out the pay and benefits to make the govt budget work. As a member - I can afford to pay medical coverage for my family, just like I pay for my family dental coverage. Once I retire, the 500 or so I have to pay for medical coverage for myself and family, per year, is way cheap compared to any civilian counterpart who would be paying that per month. Not to mention the 50 percent base pay I'll get, for only 20 years of work, is a pretty nice racket. When can a police man retire with 50 percent base pay? How about a fireman? Look up the stats on police officers killed in the line of duty compared to military members killed within the last 10 years - now ask yourself if the benefits are equal.

Time to trim the fat. With several weeks of basic and tech schooling - couple years of OJT, a military member can earn the equivalent of 30 bucks an hour in pay and benefits. That's just within the first 8-10 years if they advance slowly.

I'm pro military - but seeing equipment go into ruins because the men and women who fix the equipment are living high on the hog isn't smart business.

"According to congressional assessments, a retired Army colonel with a family currently paying $460 a year for health care will pay $2,048,"

Why the hell should a retired colonel only pay $40 a month for a family health insurance plan, while myself, a veteran and federal employee, have to pay almost $200 a month for crappy federal insurance that doesn't even pay all of my medical bills???

And the ironic thing is that colonel probably makes as much retired as I do working full time.

reply to post by CB328


NVM, I was the one who read wrong lmao. Carry on.

I remember when this was first introduced and it was the VA that stepped up and said we will sacrifice again for our country. I was angry when I first heard it but everyone knew it was a dead bill on arrival.

This is old news. If you are concerned about us Vets how about the veteran jobs bill that keeps getting shot down in congress.

This is just bull-pucky (excuse my french). There is a very simple solution to the entire problem (and yes it is socialist and populist) and that is UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE for all in the US. Just like the rest of the civilized world (and yes there would be problems but far less then we are ignoring at pr

It would solve the following dilemmas: It would make health care affordable to businesses of all sizes (and end - health care slavery that so many workers suffer under), it would cover all seniors, all vets, all disabled, all children, all unemployed, all underemployed, and the wealthy could still buy whatever they wanted. It would cover everyone. Costs to business and individuals and government would be dramatically reduced from less paperwork and less.
profits.

For profit health care is an oxymoron. The Medical/Pharmoloical/Industrial complex...


I-ve asked repeatedly for directions on how this site works (a manual) please.... but never get any help.
this interface - and cannot figure it out - I hate

reply to post by ChuckNasty


You are correct in many ways. Once you have the time in, the pay does start to equal out.

Regarding trimming the fat? I would revamp the R&D system that is currently in place. That would save a lot of money.

As a retired E7, I can live on my retirement, but that's about it. I can make ends meet. But should a emergency arise, it could wipe me out financally.

I do have another job though and am living comfortably, but if I didn't have that job, a lot of my lifes plans would be put on hold, probably indefinately.

reply to post by FyreByrd


I'm a neanderthal and find the ATS interface to very user friendly.

Or are you talking about another site?

If you think this site is frustrating, try navigating the VA site. It's links upon links, piled upon other links, which refer you to the previous links.

There are 320,000 Americans who have been "Disabled Retired" from the military. Although they are "Retired" they do not get paid.

Since they had less than 20 years of service they can't get paid a military retirement check and VA Disability. So they only get their little VA Disability checks.

If they lose their Tricare, or they have to start paying hyper high Premiums for Tricare, they will end up having to PAY to be military retirees, instead of getting PAID as military retirees.


Which they aren't....getting paid. President Harry Truman moved the Disability Retirement Program from Veterans Affairs when he was President. He moved the program from the VA (Created under the Career Compensation Act long ago) and he moved it under DOD with Executive Order 10122.

The MEGA Billions was then transferred to DOD, and they in turn kept it to fund the military. They don't actually PAY their Disabled Retired. Their only benefit is a blue ID card giving them Tricare healthcare for their family.

Obama takes that away and there's going to be 320,000 disabled Americans who will soon be even poorer. As of right now they aren't even getting enough money to have a roof over their families heads.

Originally posted by Xcathdra
reply to post by elouina

 

Im in favor of cutting the federal governments benefiets, from the President, to Congress, to all the political minions of any party who value themselves over those who have served this nation.

Before anyone tries to make the argument, Congress and the President dont serve the nation - they rape it any chance they get.

Ummm....Wow Xcathdra, I finally find myself in a thread where I agree with your statement, I even gave you a coveted "star" award as well. It just goes to show that if you stay the course, things come round full circle and the heavens align. Maybe there's hope for this country after all.........

Well met on this one.

YouSir

Any one think that this or some thing like it would Not happen?
They and obama have all the power they need.
they will now start to cut you down!
I wounder what word they will use to replace Slave...