More Affordable Health Care! (Except for the Military)

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by Joel B. Pollak 29 Jun 2012

While President Barack Obama is celebrating the survival of his so-called "Affordable Care Act," he is busy making health care less affordable for the nation's military families. As the Washington Free Beacon reports, the President is threatening to veto a defense appropriations bill unless military families have to pay higher fees for TRICARE, the military's health insurance program. The Obama administration ostensibly wants to help the Pentagon save money; the real motive is to make TRICARE less attractive than costlier Obamacare exchanges.

The Free Beacon notes that the bill that passed the House of Representatives, with bipartisan support, refused to incorporate the President's request for higher TRICARE fees--and the administration has expressed displeasure.

Once again, we see that Obama's supposed devotion to military families--a cause purportedly dear to the First Lady's heart--does not extend beyond using military families as political props, whether as salve for Obama's anti-war sentiments or as campaign-commercial fodder to make Obama look like a better leader than he actually is. Despite President Obama's penchant for referring to "his" solders, his affected affection evidently only goes so far. Obama's real goal is to protect Obamacare, and to advance his ambition of transforming the nation--and if the health care of America's military families must suffer, so be it. It's not as if he's relying on military votes.

Source

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Here's another guy writing about the same thing.

by Joe Newby/Spokane Conservative Examiner

On Friday, the Obama Administration threatened to veto a defense appropriations bill in part because it does not include increased health care fees for members of the military, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

“The Administration is disappointed that the Congress did not incorporate the requested TRICARE fee initiatives into either the appropriation or authorization legislation,” the White House wrote.

The Administration asks the House to reconsider the TRICARE fee proposals, which are essential for DOD to successfully address rising personnel costs.

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