Tricare Benefits ; Medical Care Sought for Retired Military
The Washington Times › August 27, 2009
Linked as:
Summary
President Obama and his party have endorsed legislation that would drastically cut the Tricare for Life benefits of retired and veteran service members. If it is approved by Congress in a vote next month, retired and veteran service members will be obliged to pay high deductibles and co-pays. Military treatment facilities currently do not charge eligible persons co-pays for medical services or pharmaceuticals.
The concept of providing medical care for families of active- duty members of the uniformed services dates back to the late 1700s. In 1884, Congress declared that "medical officers of the Army and contract surgeons shall whenever possible attend the families of the officers and soldiers free of charge." There was very little change until World War II, when family members could not be treated. Most draftees in that war were young men who had wives of childbearing age; the extremely large number of babies being born caused a burden on the system. The Korean War again strained the capabilities of the military health care system, and it was not possible to provide free medical care for military families.See the full content of this document
Extract
Tricare Benefits ; Medical Care Sought for Retired Military
On Jan. 1, 1967, Congress passed legislation giving military retirees, their family members and qualified surviving family members of deceased military members free medical care. That promise was broken in the 1980s, when Congress revoked the legislation in order to cut the budget.
Tricar...See the full content of this document
Sponsored links
