Research - Rehabilitation - Re-Employment

Sgt. Shaft 11/27/2006

Dear Sgt. Shaft:
As Congress returns for its "lame duck" session, it still has one major agenda item that will pose major problems for the military community if Congress fails to act before the end of the year.

Under current law, Medicare payments to doctors will be cut 5.1 percent, starting in January -- even though Medicare already pays one-fourth to one-third less than most commercial insurance. That's bad news for Medicare eligibles because it means fewer doctors will be willing to see Medicare patients.

But it could be even more devastating to 9 million military beneficiaries because military Tricare payments are tied to Medicare's.

The Tricare Prime system actually asks doctors to take an additional discount. Doctor participation is an even greater problem for Tricare than for Medicare because low payment rates are compounded by Tricare-unique administrative requirements and lower patient volume.

The military community's No. 1 health care problem is finding doctors who will accept Tricare. That's particularly true for Guard and Reserve families, retirees and survivors who live in areas where there isn't a large military population.

When our service members are sent in harm's way, the last thing they should have to worry about is whether their families will be able to find a Tricare doctor, or whether their current doctor will stop seeing Tricare patients.

We must make sure Medicare and Tricare provider payments don't fall even further behind reasonable standards that are recognized everywhere but in current law. It's not just a matter of being fair to providers and seniors. It's a real national security issue as well.

There will be long-term negative consequences to retention and readiness if the military Tricare program can't provide access to quality care. We just can't let that happen.

Congress must fix this problem before January. We hope your readers will urge their legislators to get this important job done before Congress adjourns.

Sincerely,
Retired Vice Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., U.S. Navy
President
Military Officers Association of America

Dear Adm. Ryan
As our Defense Department strives to recruit more patriots to defend our nation and our allies, it is beyond belief that it even consider reaching its bottom line on the backs of those who have served so selflessly. The elected officials of our great country should not now turn their backs on these warriors.

Unfortunately unbeknownst to the American people, those who have retired from the military have during their service earned lower incomes, have paid taxes on this income and have paid into Medicare for their promise of "free health care." It is disgraceful that the Defense Department would try to manipulate this benefit by cutting corners and changing its program to less Tricare and less Tricare for Life.

I believe it is again time to reprint the poignant words of Rudyard Kipling's poem "Tommy":

I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";
But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide,
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide
O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind",
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind,
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind.

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool -- you bet that Tommy sees!

Send letters to Sgt. Shaft, c/o John Fales, P.O. Box 65900, Washington, D.C. 20035-5900; fax to 301-622-3330; call 202-257-5446 or email sgtshaft@bavf.org.

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