Military budget information indicates military healthcare costs are rising faster than overall U.S. healthcare costs, eating away at a budget that also is funding two wars, USA Today reported Friday.
A USA Today review indicates Pentagon healthcare spending increased from $19 billion in 2001 to a projected $50.7 billion in 2011, a 167 percent increase. Total U.S. spending on healthcare rose from $1.5 trillion in 2001 to an estimated $2.7 trillion next year, an 84 percent increase.
A surge in mental health and physical problems for troops deployed to war multiple times and a surge in career military retirees seeking coverage, Rear Adm. Christine Hunter, deputy director of TRICARE, the military health care program, told USA Today.
Active-duty troops and their families receive free healthcare, paying out of pocket $3 for co-payments or $9 per prescription at civilian pharmacies. Retirees receive the same benefits by paying $230 a person or $460 a family a year, along with co-payments for different types of care, USA Today said.
"I want to be generous and fair to all those who serve, but there's a cost-containment problem," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said at a recent hearing. "I don't see how we can sustain this forever, where TRICARE is never subject to adjustment in terms of the premiums to be paid."
Hunter said the Pentagon also was considering higher out-of-pocket expenses.
"The difference this year is that we see members of Congress saying we need to have a thoughtful discussion," Hunter said. "Where's the balance here? We want to be grateful for people's service, absolutely. But the costs are up. What's fair?"
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Military Mulls Health Fee HikeOriginally from: http://www.nursinglink.monster.com/news/articles/12193-military-mulls-health-fee-hike
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