rssGates’ Roundabout Blessing of Health Care Reform
Monday, March 22, 2010 at 8:21 am
- 3 Comments
There’s not really much of a way that a secretary of defense can play a role in the health care fight. But Robert Gates last night sent out a statement letting everyone know that nothing in the health care bill passed by the House last night will mean anything for the medical insurance plan used by U.S. service personnel. Did anyone suggest it would? Not really, but just in case, now you know.
As Secretary of Defense, the health and well-being of America’s men and women in uniform is my highest priority.
Our troops and their families can be re-assured that the health care reform legislation being passed by the Congress will not negatively impact the TRICARE medical insurance program, as it already meets the bill’s quality and minimum benefit standards. This was clarified by a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday and is expected to be re-affirmed by the Senate.
The President and I are committed to seeing that our troops, retirees and their families will continue to receive the best quality health care.
Who knows — a future talking point against the bill preemptively debunked?
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3 Comments
Comment posted March 22, 2010 @ 1:13 pm
One of the Republicans making remarks in the House in the run up to the vote yesterday did claim that Tricare would not meet the new health insurance requirements, so, yes, I think you are right. Gates was trying to debunk a potential talking point.
Comment posted March 22, 2010 @ 1:20 pm
Here's the backstory:
Republican operatives are blasting out a statement to reporters from the leadership of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) calling on members of Congress to vote no because the bill does not specifically consider certain military health benefits as sufficient to meet the mandate that everybody must have health insurance.
The statement goes on to say: “At issue is H.R. 4872 does not fully protect the healthcare programs provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the military’s Tricare system. Specifically, the bill covers Tricare For Life but not the other Tricare programs that serve millions of beneficiaries; it does not cover children suffering from spina bifida as a result of a parent’s exposure to Agent Orange; and it does not cover dependents, widows and orphans who are served by CHAMPVA, the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs.”
That’s nonsense, say other veterans groups and Democrats in the House. The traditionally conservative VFW is simply looking for a way to oppose the bill.
The VFW objected to the Senate bill because it didn’t explicitly state that military benefits met the accepted level of insurance required by the mandate. The coverage itself clearly meets the guidelines, but the VFW wanted something saying that explicitly. So the House gave it to them. The bill that fixed the problem, H.R. 4887, was introduced by Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), who is opposing the final bill. It passed 403-0.
Comment posted June 27, 2010 @ 9:46 am
One of the Republicans making remarks in the House in the run up to the vote yesterday did claim that Tricare would not meet the new health insurance requirements, so, yes, I think you are right. Gates was trying to debunk a potential talking point.
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