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Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	Liberals Please Tell Us You Support This.
Date:	2/27/2012 8:02:01 PM (updated 2/27/2012 8:06:02 PM)

Apparently politicians don't understand that there must be reciprocity in loyalty. They can't expect active duty (and retired) military to be loyal to them if they are not loyal to the military.

This administration is the epitome of politics without conscience. EVERY move seems to be for political reasons, not the good of the country and its citizens.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Liberals Please Tell Us You Support This.
Date:	2/27/2012 8:09:40 PM

First of all a disclaimer -- I have no respect for Bill Gertz. I have had experience with dealing with him and he is not a responsible journalist. He used to write a column for the Washington Times.

I've been reading about this, and I think it sucks for veterans and is wrong. I believe this originally came out of the Pentagon as a way to save money -- you recall the Pentagon is scheduled for huge cuts and I believe this came out of some study done at the Pentagon. We've watched an eronsion of veteran's benefits over a period of time, and it is time it stopped. I personally would rather see a few hardware programs cancelled rather than erode our veterans benfits. Their "contract with America" is that they would give everything including their lives for the security of this country. We can at least stop cutting their benefits.
And they need to significantly up the funding for the VA, so that veterans returning from our current wars have a place to turn for long term health care for their war -related injuries. Once their lives are saved in a field hospital, their families should know that they will be taken care of by the rest of us.

Name:	MAJ USA RET -	Reply
Subject:	Liberals Please Tell Us You Support This.
Date:	2/27/2012 10:53:30 PM

This not what my fellow countrymen feel about my service… it is how the current administration… my “commander-in-chief”… feels about my service.

My co-pay [out-of pocket] is already running about 19% of my medical bills. Medical professionals already know how to profit from Tri-Care… to make up for losses from Medicare and Medicaid. Oh!... oh yes… next year I begin paying Medicare Part B premiums.

If this is my portion… then I will eat it… gag it down…

But, there was no way I could have foreseen this… back when I was a private.

Name:	Buteye -	Reply
Subject:	Liberals Please Tell Us You Support This.
Date:	2/28/2012 6:10:37 AM

When I decided to make the Air Force a career it was based on love for country and a promise made to me that on retirement I would receive free medical and dental care for life. One must realize that being in the military subjects a person to whatever risks are in store with each new assignment(there is no choice to refuse an assignment because your life may be put at risk, that you may be separated from your family, or any other inconvenience that comes with each new assignment). When the bell tolls you respond with no questions asked!! For my promise of "free" medical care for life both my wife and I must "each" pay over $100.00 per month for Medicare at the present time and the rates per month are scheduled to go up substantially each year. Additionally, I must pay any charges that are above what Medicare and Tri Care provide. With all this said, it is next to impossible to find doctors who will even accept a patient
whose method of payment is based on Medicare and Tri Care. Needless to say I have no respect for the politicians who sit in Washington and take away benefits I was promised while most of them have never served their "country" yet their health care benefits seem to never come under scrutiny. What is even more "disgusting" and "shameful" is that we have a President who has never served in the military and who thinks that he has the right to "apoligize" for "we the people" of the United States. To say the least it is "sickening". In closing, one of the "first" things he did as President that I thought showed his "true colors" was to return the stature of Winston Churchill to England. That stature was not his and he had no right to return something that was given to the United States It was "revealing" at that moment that he considered himself "KING" and "could and would" do anything he so desired. It is beyond my wildest imagination why we do not have anyone with the courage and -alls to reign in the devastation he has brought(and continues to bring to our great "NATION". Enough said!!!!

Name:	comrade -	Reply
Subject:	Liberals Please Tell Us You Support This.
Date:	2/28/2012 7:37:14 AM

How do medical professionals profit from Tri-Care?

Name:	MAJ USA RET -	Reply
Subject:	Squeeze
Date:	2/28/2012 8:24:51 AM (updated 2/28/2012 8:31:04 AM)

Comrade, medical professionals do not profit from TriCare.

TriCare does not pay in full on any medical charges. TriCare only pays part of the billing… an amount it believes is acceptable. The doctor allows some “discount” and the rest is billed to the military retiree as co-pay. It is this co-pay that differentiates the military retiree from Medicare/Medicaid patients. With Medicare/Medicaid the doctor get nothing out of the wallets of those patients.

When I become 65, I will have to pay a Medicare Part B premium as a condition of keeping my TriCare medical. The military enforces this by making my ID card expire in my 65^th birth month. This Medicare Part B premium will be an additional out-of-pocket added to my co-pay.

You see, the Obama administration realizes that military retirees, unlike the indigent and those who did not plan for retirement, have some money from which to skim.

Had I taken a rocket or a mortar or an IED or an SVEST or a bullet in Iraq, they would not be able to squeeze me for this.

Name:	MAJ USA RET -	Reply
Subject:	Squeeze
Date:	2/28/2012 8:28:58 AM (updated 2/28/2012 8:32:06 AM)

Medical professionals probably do not lose as much on TriCare as they do on Medicare/Medicaid. The losses are defrayed from the pocket of the retiree. (I do not know how compensation from Medicare/Medicaid compares to TriCare... but, I don't suspect it is as much as private insurance... e.g. Kaiser Permanente, Blue Cross, etc.)

Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	FYI
Date:	2/28/2012 10:26:42 AM (updated 2/28/2012 10:29:48 AM)

I turned 65 April before last and went under Medicare as you say. My military ID card, as yours, states that medical expired 31 March, 2010. So, if you have other commercial insurance (like I do), you don't HAVE to take Medicare Part B. Part A is free but only covers hospitalization. Part B premium is $110/month, but goes up $40/ month if your AGI on your latest 1040 is $215K (maybe 214K, I don't recall), and then the next step is an additional $90 or something like that.

After a back surgery and time in the hospital for a leg laceration that got infected, I realized that going without Part B is an unwise decision....:>(

Name:	copperline -	Reply
Subject:	Liberals Please Tell Us You Support This.
Date:	2/28/2012 11:00:36 AM

As a Liberal, I don't support this.... most of us probably wouldn't.   However, cuts like these are the outcome of the successful demand for smaller govt, and reduced spending, that is the flagship issue of Conservatives.   I certainly recognize the risks of military service, and the sacrifices made.... and really regret this is happening myself.

But really, it's time to pay the piper.   Conservatives have successfully demanded reduced entitlement programs, less taxes, etc. Now that the outcome of these cuts is appearing in real people's lives... not just rhetorical flourishes from politicians.... we are about to see how it feels to live with the outcome of all that political posturing.

I think instances like this that may cause many Conservatives to embrace a more moderate stance, and reconsider whether they want to press forward with their agenda.   The imposition of drastic across the board cuts in federal spending are looming at the end of the year.

Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	Please Go Back To The Original Post
Date:	2/28/2012 11:13:32 AM

You miss the point. The original post included an article that complains of TriCare being trashed while the civilian workforce health care isn't being touched and thus they are not sharing the pain.

Don't you think things are upside down and that the civilian workforce, that does not endure the hardships that comes with being active duty, should be the first to be cut?

Name:	GoneFishin -	Reply
Subject:	HEY HOBBIE
Date:	2/28/2012 12:24:03 PM

Rather disappointed Hobbie that you fought for the freedom of speech and thought but wanna "fight" over our differences. I always consider one of the perks for serving our country in the military for 20 years was lifetime medical coverage. Having served in the Coast Guard, but not 20 years, I can understand fully your bitterness. We may have different political leanings, but on this we stand together.

Name:	copperline -	Reply
Subject:	Please Go Back To The Original Post
Date:	2/28/2012 1:17:40 PM

Yes, I see that. I just think cutting entitlement programs is painful, whether it be to veterans, disabled children, or elderly retirees. Now that the effects of the cuts are becoming increasingly evident, it's becoming apparent that some of those affected groups are ones we belong to or feel we should be protective of. It's my soapbox issue, I suppose. The reality of entitlement programs is that the middle class is a primary beneficiary....

Choosing between the relative merits of supporting a veteran who was promised life-time benefits after service, a mentally ill person, an elderly retiree, a family living in poverty, or a disabled child is impossible for me. I think the impact of these cuts are going to be unacceptable to many people who advocated for them.

Name:	copperline -	Reply
Subject:	Squeeze
Date:	2/28/2012 1:45:24 PM

I'm mostly familiar with the part of Medicare/Medicaid/Tricare in outpatient medical practices. Many MD's already refuse Medicaid because of low reimbursement rates, Tricare remains only mildly attractive to the majority of MD's who do outpatient care...but avoided by inpatient MD's & hospitals. It's predecessor, Champus, was widely avoided by all, but the system is improved now. Medicare is still accepted broadly, of course, but only because it is so large... not because of reimbursement rates. It's impossible for an MD to predict what Medicare will reimburse for a given procedure... this can vary from event to event without explanation. Faced with that unpredictability, many clinicians simply say it's too much trouble to participate.... and more are opting out.

I expect that continued cuts in federal funding will result in Means Testing for recipients in the future.... whether it be Social Security, Medicare... or Tricare, federal worker or military retirement programs. It seems to me to be the only way to make such deep cuts.

Name:	MAJ USA RET -	Reply
Subject:	Squeeze
Date:	2/28/2012 4:53:11 PM

It’s funny… we never hear about welfare cuts.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Please Go Back To The Original Post
Date:	2/28/2012 6:39:17 PM

Why mix apples and oranges. Civilians don't get free health care. But instead of insisting that civilian health care be cut, why not just be outraged that they want to cut the military health insurance?

I think Copperline makes a good point -- in all the calls for smaller government, and reductions in "entitlement" programs hurts real people. It's not just a "concept". If there is a call to cut the defense budget, it's much easier to cu the benefits of the military than it is to cut acquisition programs. As soon as anyone tries to cut acquisition programs, Congress worries about votes, as jobs in their district go away.

My question is this -- in eroding the military benefits, how will they get the number of people they need to serve? It certainly isn't for the pay, and it won't be for any benefits. Why will people sign up for the hardship? Will they bring back the draft? Or is this intended to discourage people from making a military career? No matter what anyone thinks, we need professional soldiers.

Name:	comrade -	Reply
Subject:	Please Go Back To The Original Post
Date:	2/28/2012 7:20:54 PM

Maybe they should start with cutting health care benefits for all the politicians in Washington, but not the military........(I'll bet there is not much discussion about who provides the greater public service)

Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	Please Go Back To The Original Post
Date:	2/28/2012 7:31:17 PM (updated 2/28/2012 7:33:59 PM)

The challenge of fielding the world's best military under these circumstances is indeed a concern. I agree with you.

But lets put the discussion in a different perspective. What are they doing about reducing "entitlements" that only require a person to be breathing to receive? If, in the interest of bringing our country back to fiscal sanity, I have to pay more out of pocket, so be it But nobody should escape the pain, though, and to identify those who WORK or WORKED like our militaryas some of the FIRST to pony up more is just flat wrong. This welfare state we find ourselves in is pathetic.

I have a friend who runs one of those tax preparation services that caters to folks from the projects. The stories I hear about what goes on is pitiful. Why should someone get $10,000 of your and my money back when they didn't contribute a single solitary cent in taxes? And why should we continue to support more and more out-of-wedlock welfare babies borne by mothers who are irresponsible about getting pregnant. If they want to have 20 babies, fine. But they shoudn't be able to make you and me pay for their upbinging. Maybe there ought to be a law of diminishing returns. Baby 1 gets x, baby 2 gets 2/3x, baby 3 gets 1/3x to the point that additional babies get the mother NO additional tax dollars.

And SSI, better known as "crazy checks" is a joke. There is a whole industry of lawyers out there who make their living getting people on SSI that don't belong there. The poor GS-5 Social Security clerk is no match for these scheisters.

OK, blast away. Call me racist, even though I never once mentioned race. But the simple facts are that this country is moving from one that rewards self sufficiency and hard work to one that says "poor baby, here, take some of someone else's money" every time somebody holds out a hand and whimpers a little bit.

And no, I do not begrudge the truly needy or those who need just a little lift to get back on their feet. I do begrudge being someone's wheelchair just because they are too lazy to get up and walk on their own.

Name:	GoneFishin -	Reply
Subject:	The Projects or A Double Wide
Date:	2/28/2012 8:22:56 PM (updated 2/28/2012 8:24:57 PM)

Let's see. Mama never graduated high school cause she got pregnant. The right says no abortion. Mama gets welfare and gets pregnant again. Someone says gee you should practice birth control. Santorum comes along and says that is bad. Just abstain until you marry. But, no one wants to marry mama with 2 kids. But, mama likes the welfare and gets pregnant again. The kids go to school but mama can't help with homework cause mama dropped out of school. As so it goes on and on. Is it racist no just the truth. NO abortion, NO birth control... stop bit*hing about welfare. We have kids raising kids and all the right wants to do is cut welfare and tell these kids to abstain. It can be in the projects or in a double wide. Black or white pregnancy does not discriminate.

Name:	comrade -	Reply
Subject:	The Projects or A Double Wide
Date:	2/28/2012 8:28:55 PM

I missed the part that spelled out how I became responsible for mama and her babies....

Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	Did You Not READ the Post?
Date:	2/28/2012 8:50:23 PM (updated 2/28/2012 8:56:38 PM)

You got the part right about mama having another kid because she likes the welfare. Would she have it if she knew SHE wouldn't get welfare or not as much welfare, and would be responsible for raising it?

And yes, cut welfare. Otherwise the cycle will never be broken. After two she figured out where they came from and from then on she can use aspirin or she can insist her boy-toy wear a raincoat while he showers, if you get my drift, which you will probably CHOOSE not to.

So, do you cut the benefits that a serviceman or woman EARNED risking their lives for our freedom or do you cut miss spread 'em wide's free ride to become a walking welfare baby factory? Seems pretty clear cut to me, but I guess I'm just an illogical unreasonable conservative in your book. I won't lose any sleep over that, for sure.

Name:	Barneget -	Reply
Subject:	The Projects or A Double Wide
Date:	2/28/2012 9:09:52 PM

I am confused. Taxpayers are currently(since at least 1978) funding birth control, abortion as birth control, 78 different programs to assist the underprivileged including WIC, Section 8, SNAP, school meals and snack, Medicaid with dental, utility assistance, cell phones since 05, EITC, yet based on what Santorum said two weeks ago, and a few responsible Republicans forwarding proposals to modify the multi generational failures of the Great Society, being politically aligned with the right and right thinkers, I can't complain about the results? The wrong is to fail to establish a goal, wrong to fail to measure results against goal, wrong to fail to adjust for improved results, wrong to shovel more money and programs at issues money and programs cannot solve, 45 years of wrong. And, pregnancy outside of marriage certainly does discriminate. Blacks suffer a rate greater than 60% higher than Latinos, and more than 3x the rate of European Americans.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Please Go Back To The Original Post
Date:	2/28/2012 9:33:24 PM

I would like to see welfare made as a stop gap measure, not as a permanent means of support. It needs to help people over a hump or as a means to getting training to enter the job market, but not to fund a life. I personally know of a case where a woman is fostering her drug using daughter's baby, taking public assistance for doing so; and is actually dropping the child off with the daughter every day, while the grandmother works under the table. The child is a baby, so it appears that there will be years of support ahead. I keep thinking about all those young men coming home from our current engagements with traumatic brain injuries and PTSD and other injuries that are a direct result of their service. Is it fair for them to be the subject to budget cuts and "entitlement" cuts? Some of them will never work again.

Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	Careful, Hound
Date:	2/28/2012 10:11:12 PM

Archie is going to brand you a heartless conservative ideologue. Especially since I agree with you.

On this one I think even h_hob would agree with you, and that might be a first.

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