Military Health, Tricare programs - Army Times

Tricare Help: How will health care reform really affect your Tricare?

A number of readers have written to Tricare Help recently concerning President Barack Obama’s plans for reforming the nation’s health care system.

Because of the amount of conflicting and misleading information, the writers were confused — and some frightened — about possible harmful effects of those plans on their Tricare and Tricare for Life coverage.

Some unofficial comments and rumors have been circulating on the Internet and elsewhere that claim the president’s and Congress’ plans will seriously damage or destroy Tricare and Tricare for Life coverage.

In keeping with my established policy of not involving Tricare Help in public disputes, I will not comment on the rumors themselves; each reader will have to decide for himself the credibility of the different sources — the president or unofficial Internet sources.

But here is some information made public by official sources:

• The House Education and Labor Committee has issued a definitive statement saying that health care reform proposals being discussed have been specifically designed to shield Tricare, Tricare for Life and Veterans Affairs Department health care programs from any requirements or penalties that could become part of legislation.

• Obama met with the American Legion recently and specifically reiterated that Tricare and VA health care provisions will not be changed. He later confirmed those facts in a meeting with several military-related publications, including Military Times.

• At the national Veterans of Foreign Wars conference Aug. 17, Obama made similar statements that there will be no reduction in Medicare benefits. Reducing Medicare costs would come from reducing fraud and abuse.

Obama went on to say that he plans to increase VA benefits, including improved access to care, particularly for mental health, and to reduce the backlog of benefit claims appeals — estimated in some cases to be as much as 1½ years.

• Visit www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq. White House statements regarding Medicare and VA are easy to find. All report that none of the military-related medical benefit programs will be cut, curtailed or reduced.

Something to keep in mind during discussions to come is that Tricare, including Tricare for Life, is not a health insurance company or insurance policy. It is a federal health benefits program created by its own law and governed by its own regulation that interprets and implements that law. Thus, any rules affecting health insurance companies or policies should have no effect on Tricare.

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Write to Tricare Help, Times News Service, 6883 Commercial Drive, Springfield, VA 22159; or tricarehelp@atpco.com. In e-mail, include the word “Tricare” in the subject line.