Dems’ Plan to Gut Tricare Provokes Outrage

Democrats Are Still Defending Their ObamaCare-Created Bureaucrat Board That Could Gut Tricare, But Veterans and Military Families are Pushing Back 

• Democrats want to balance the budget on the backs of America’s veterans in part by increasing healthcare fees and co-pays under the Tricare military health insurance program, but veterans are pushing back in record numbers.
• These proposed cost increases follow the possible cuts that could be coming to Tricare under the Medicare-gutting board created under ObamaCare. Military veterans’ groups are urging Democrats to abandon IPAB, since IPAB’s cuts could limit access to care for those who use Tricare.
• Despite these fears and the warnings of doctors who say IPAB will threaten patients’ access to care, Democrats are now trying to make their Medicare- and Tricare-gutting board even stronger.

Democrats want to balance the budget on the backs of America’s veterans by increasing healthcare fees and co-pays under the Tricare military health insurance program, but veterans are pushing back in record numbers:

OBAMA BUDGET PROPOSAL WOULD “INCREAS[E] THE COST OF HEALTHCARE FOR RETIRED SERVICE MEMBERS”: “The Obama administration’s budget proposal to cut defense spending, in part, by increasing the cost of health care for retired service members has riled veterans groups and members of Congress.” (Leigh Munsil, “TRICARE Cost Hikes Draw Fire,” Politico, 4/4/2012) 

OBAMA ADMIN PROPOSING HIGHER FEES AND CO-PAYS FOR TRICARE:“Among other things, the administration has proposed increasing the fees and co-pays for retired service members covered by the military’s health care program, TRICARE.” (Leigh Munsil, “TRICARE Cost Hikes Draw Fire,” Politico, 4/4/2012) 

MILITARY OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA GENERATED 110,000 MESSAGES TO CONGRESS, “BIGGEST RESPONSE” GROUP HAS EVER SEEN:“When the cuts first surfaced, the Military Officers Association of America sent an alert to its mailing list and within eight days generated more than 110,000 messages to members of Congress, by far the biggest response to an issue the organization has ever seen, said the association’s director of government relations, retired Air Force Col. Steve Strobridge.

“ ‘We’re inundated with comments from outraged people,’ he said. ‘They feel like that is a gross devaluation of the service they’ve already rendered.’” (Leigh Munsil, “TRICARE Cost Hikes Draw Fire,” Politico, 4/4/2012) 

These proposed cost increases follow the possible cuts that could be coming to Tricare under the Medicare-gutting board created under ObamaCare. Military veterans’ groups are urging Democrats to abandon IPAB, since IPAB’s cuts could limit access to care for those who use Tricare:

NATIONAL MILITARY VETERANS ALLIANCE REPRESENTING 35 MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS AND 3.5 MILLION MEMBERS CALLS FOR IPAB REPEAL:(Statement of the National Military Veterans Alliance, Letter to House Committee on Ways & Means, 3/6/2012)

GIVEN LINKAGE BETWEEN MEDICARE AND TRICARE, “WE HAVE REAL CONCERNS ABOUT IPAB INDIRECT IMPACT UPON MILITARY RETIREES”:“As you know, almost one third of our nation’s 24 million veterans are over the age of 65, and the vast majority of them live in households in which at least one person receives Medicare benefits.  Thus the impact of any change in Medicare services is felt both immediately and directly by them. Moreover, because Medicare reimbursement rates and coverage determinations are standard measures for some provisions of TRICARE as well as a number of private insurance programs, we have real concerns about the IPAB indirect impact upon military retirees now and particularly in the future as its scope of authority expands.” (Statement of the National Military and Veterans Alliance, Letter to House Committee on Ways & Means, 3/6/2012) 

Despite these fears and the warnings of doctors who say IPAB will threaten patients’ access to care, Democrats are now trying to make their Medicare- and Tricare-gutting board even stronger:

TRICARE’S REIMBURSEMENT RATES TIED TO MEDICARE: “One particular concern is rising fees. Tricare’s reimbursement rates to private caregivers generally are tied to those of Medicare, and many doctors say Medicare’s reimbursement rates already are too low.” (William H. McMichael, “Tricare and Health Reform: What It Could Mean in the Long Run,” The Air Force Times, 3/21/2012) 

FEARS THAT ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE THROUGH TRICARE COULD BE JEOPARDIZED BY CUTS TO MEDICARE: “That raises concerns that the Pentagon may one day have to shore up Tricare’s reimbursement rates by increasing its already considerable funding support for the program or raising patients’ fees and co-pays — or both — to keep private-sector doctors from dropping Tricare-eligible patients if they think they can make more money treating the influx of private-sector patients that will be generated by the reform law.” (William H. McMichael, “Tricare and Health Reform: What It Could Mean in the Long Run,” The Air Force Times, 3/21/2012) 

ADDITIONAL CONCERNS THAT THOSE ON TRICARE MIGHT BE FORCED TO LOSE THE CARE THEY HAVE, ENTER OBAMACARE’S NEW HEALTHCARE EXCHANGES: “If reimbursement rates for care are higher in the health care exchanges, for example, more providers might gravitate toward that population, [National Military Family Association Deputy Director for Government Relations Barbara] Cohoon said.

“ ‘We won’t really know until we see how the [health care] exchanges shake out,’ she said.” (William H. McMichael, “Tricare and Health Reform: What It Could Mean in the Long Run,” The Air Force Times, 3/21/2012) 

YET DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO STRENGTHEN IPAB EVEN FURTHER:

WHITE HOUSE LOBBIED AGAINST IPAB REPEAL: “Democratic sources said Tuesday that White House aides were reaching out to Members to keep them from peeling off when the measure comes to a vote on the floor. Democratic House leaders rigorously whipped colleagues against voting for the GOP’s full health care repeal last year, but they have not done the same for the more targeted repeal measures that have come forward.” (Jessica Brady, “Democrats Willing to Tinker with Health Care Law,” Roll Call, 3/7/2012) 

“OBAMA BUDGET WANTS MORE TEETH” FOR IPAB: (Phillip Klein, “Obama Budget Wants More Teeth for Medicare Board,” The Washington Examiner, 2/13/2012)

OBAMA BUDGET CLAIMS IT “STRENGTHENS THE INDEPENDENT PAYMENT ADVISORY BOARD”: “In addition, it strengthens the Independent Payment Advisory Board to reduce long-term drivers of Medicare cost growth.” (p. 112, “The Budget for Fiscal Year 2013: Department of Health and Human Services,” The White House, 2/13/2012) 

OBAMA’S HHS SECRETARY KATHLEEN SEBELIUS REFERRED TO IPAB AS “A KEY PART OF THE PRESIDENT’S PLAN”: (Kathleen Sebelius, “IPAB Will Protect Medicare,” Politico, 6/23/2011)

DOCTORS HAVE WARNED THAT IPAB WILL THREATEN PATIENTS’ ACCESS TO CARE:

IPAB’S CUTS “WOULD LEAD TO A REDUCTION IN ACCESS TO CARE”: “The Independent Payment Advisory Board, created under the health care law to help control Medicare costs, lacks flexibility to do much more than cut provider payments that would lead to a reduction in access to care, witnesses told a House Ways and Means panel March 6.” (Ralph Lindeman, “IPAB Would Reduce Access to Care, Witnesses Tell Ways and Means Panel,” Bloomberg, 3/7/2012) 

41 DOCTORS’ GROUPS REPRESENTING 400,000 DOCTORS FEAR THAT “15 UNELECTED AND LARGELY UNACCOUNTABLE” BUREAUCRATS WILL MAKE MEDICARE DECISIONS, AND NONE ARE ALLOWED TO BE “PRACTICING PHYSICIANS”: “With the advent of the IPAB, however, the people’s elected representatives will no longer have power over Medicare payment policy.  Instead, these major health policy decisions will rest in the hands of 15 unelected and largely unaccountable individuals.  Even worse, if IPAB fails to report recommendations or never becomes operational, this power will rest solely in the hands of a single individual – the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Additionally, fewer than half of the IPAB members can be health care providers, and none are permitted to be practicing physicians or be otherwise employed.” (Letter from Healthcare Stakeholders, House Energy and Commerce Committee, 3/5/2012)

AMERICAN UROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION: DOCTORS WILL “OPT OUT OF THE MEDICARE PROGRAM OR BE DRIVEN OUT OF PRACTICE ALTOGETHER”: “He warned, ‘These cuts could be driven so low that physicians will be forced to limit the number of Medicare beneficiaries they see, opt out of the Medicare program, or be driven out of practice altogether.’” (Ralph Lindeman, “IPAB Would Reduce Access to Care, Witnesses Tell Ways and Means Panel,” Bloomberg, 3/7/2012) 

AMERICAN OSTEOPATHIC ASSOCIATION: CONCERNS THAT “QUALITY CARE FOR OUR PARENTS WILL BE JEOPARDIZED”: (Martin S. Levine, American Osteopathic Association, Letter to House Energy & Commerce Committee, 2/28/2012) 

IPAB WILL “NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE AVAILABILITY OF QUALITY, EFFICIENT HEALTH CARE”: “The Committee’s consideration of H.R. 452 is an important step in preserving Congress’ role in Medicare payment policy. Leaving payment policy decisions in the hands of an unelected, unaccountable governmental body with minimal congressional oversight will negatively impact the availability of quality, efficient health care to Medicare beneficiaries and all Americans.” (David B. Hoyt, Letter to Joe Pitts,House Energy and Committee, 2/28/2012)