MOAA urges rejection of Tricare fee hikes

[unhappycamper]

MOAA urges rejection of Tricare fee hikes
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Feb 29, 2008 17:46:22 EST

A major military advocacy group says it has some ideas to help the Defense Department cut health care costs that would be better alternatives than raising Tricare fees.

The Military Officers Association of America outlined those ideas Friday in a briefing for congressional staff members, who do the research to help lawmakers with their decisions on changes in military pay and benefits.

Among MOAA’s suggestions:

• Make maximum use of military treatment facilities. These facilities don’t have enough providers and support staff to bring patients back in, said John Class, MOAA’s deputy director of government relations for health affairs. With budgets tightening, support staff has been cut, said Class, suggesting the Defense Department could bring in contractors or federal civilian physicians to reduce costs.

• Encourage reservists to keep their civilian employer insurance, and make Tricare a true second payer for those people. The Defense Department also could possibly subsidize premiums for the civilian employer insurance.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/military_MOAA_tricare_022908w/