<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div>Any evidence of "<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">millions of Americans to lose the health care" under the Affordable Care Act, Mr. Crabtree? Or is this merely more hot air?</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div>At last count eight million to ten million people signed on to the Affordable Care Act.</div><div><br></div><div>And . . .</div><div><br></div><div>As far as my "<i>own little world</i>" is concerned, Mr. Crabtree . . . Being a disabled Army retiree with screws, rods, pins, and Degenerative Osteoarthritis in my right leg . . . Well, that's something I'll just have to live with, huh? </div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>F*CK</b>, Mr. Crabtree. The only thing missing is <b>you</b>.</span></div><div><br><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Moscow Cares"</span></div><div><a href="http://www.moscowcares.com/" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000">http://www.MoscowCares.com</font></a></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></div><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tom Hansen</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moscow, Idaho</span></div></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"There's room at the top they are telling you still.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But first you must learn how to smile as you kill,</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">If you want to be like the folks on the hill."</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- John Lennon</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></div></div><div><br>On Feb 2, 2015, at 1:34 PM, Gary Crabtree <<a href="mailto:moscowlocksmith@gmail.com">moscowlocksmith@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>When Obama care caused millions of Americans to lose the health care</span><br><span>they were promised they could keep and forced then to scramble for</span><br><span>more expensive health plans that were less suitable to their needs you</span><br><span>thought that this was a wonderful step forward for the country. Surely</span><br><span>you can't be objecting to a little health care presto change-o coming</span><br><span>into your own little world?</span><br><span></span><br><span>g</span><br><span></span><br><span>On Mon, Feb 2, 2015 at 6:21 AM, Tom Hansen <<a href="mailto:thansen@moscow.com">thansen@moscow.com</a>> wrote:</span><br><blockquote type="cite"><span>Is this what happens under a Republican-controlled congress?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Privatization of health care insurance for military retirees?????</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>If it works, DON'T FIX IT ! ! !</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>I am a disabled retiree (with a service-connected disability rated at 45%).</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>I would HATE to have to pay commercial health insurance premiums . . . and</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>hope I am covered if I should ever have to be admitted to the hospital.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Courtesy of the Army Times.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>--------------------------------------</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Commission Calls for Abolishing TriCare</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>A congressional commission has called for an overhaul of the military health</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>system that does away with Tricare, changes the medical command structure</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>and seeks to improve Defense Department coordination with Veterans Affairs.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>The goal of the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Commission’s plan according to its final report released Jan. 29, is to</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>preserve the quality of combat care that saved many troops’ lives in Iraq</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>and Afghanistan but also improve access to health treatment for those who</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>use the system.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Under the recommendations, active- duty members and mobilized reservists</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>still would receive medical care from the U.S. military, with easier access</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>to specialty care in the civilian sector if they need it.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>But their family members, and retirees under 65 and their families, would be</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>covered through commercial insurers, similar to plans run under the Federal</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Employee Health Benefits Program.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Active-duty families would get an allowance to cover their insurance</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>premiums, called the Basic Allowance for Health Care.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Retirees below Medicare-eligible age would pay their premiums out of pocket,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>though at a lower cost thancivilianplansas“recognition” of their service,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>under the plan.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>The program would be run from the Office of Personnel Management, just as</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>the FEHBP is, negating the need for the huge Tricare contract management and</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>oversight structure that exists in the Pentagon, according to the report.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>But this would not be FEHBP, commission members stressed, because that</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>program doesn’t offer options appropriate for military beneficiaries with</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>their unique requirements, including the availability of military treatment</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>facilities and readiness demands, the commission wrote.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>“By moving toward private insurance, beneficiaries of the plan would have</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>improved access to health care. ... It also solves some of the issues with</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>mobilization and place monthly pension checks with 401(k)-style investment</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>accounts. That suggested the government contributions should be at least</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>16.5 percent of basic pay, with higher rates for deployed service members or</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>high-demand career f ields.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>That plan went nowhere after it was criticized by troops, disavowed by the</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Pentagon leadership and landed with a thud on Capitol Hill.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Last March, the Pentagon’s personnel and readiness office broke its long</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>silence and offered several detailed and complex alternatives to the current</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>system: hybrid options that included both a TSP with government</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>contributions and smaller, partial pension checks before traditional</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>retirement age.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>That plan also included some lump-sum payments for troops staying at least</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>20 years, offering a “transitionpay”equaltoasmuchas three years’ basic pay.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>The nine-member commission is chaired by Maldon. Other members include</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Pressler, Dov Zakheim, Edmund Giambastiani, Peter Chiarelli, Bob Kerrey,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Christopher Carney, Michael Higgins and Stephen Buyer. N care they now have,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>under the plan.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>The commission also recommends that DoD create a four-star Joint Readiness</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Command that would lead much of the portion of the Joint Staff that is</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>responsible for readiness. This structure, commissioners said, would improve</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>coordination across the services in treatment, transportation and care for</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>injured and ill troops.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>“Joint readiness today is at a high level because we’ve just been through</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>more than a decade of war. This seeks to preserve that function,” Daigle</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>said.The commission also suggests changes to programs for beneficiaries with</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>special needs, to more closely align them with state Medicaid programs —</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>something advocates have sought in recent years.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>The commission also called for improving coordination between DoD and VA</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>health services, to include creating a uniform drug formulary for smooth</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>transition of prescriptions, establishing standard reimbursement and</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>completing the effort to create a joint electronic health record system.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>The report estimates changes to the health programs could cut the Pentagon</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>budget by $26.5 billion from fiscal 2016 to fiscal 2020 and save $6.7</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>billion a year by 2033.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Unlike the retirement portion of the report, which would apply only to new</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>recruits, the health care portion of the recommendations would affect all</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>family members, retirees and their families — except for those on Tricare</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>For Life — once signed into law.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Joyce Raezer, executive director of the National Military Family</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Association, said she polled 20 military spouses shortly after the report</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>was released and said most were “intrigued” by the recommendations,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>particularly the prospect of greater choice.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>“Generally, the option for choice in this arrangement ... they like that.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>The Tricare bureaucracy is cumbersome,” Raezer said.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>But spouses added they would need help understanding their options and</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>choosing plans, and they also wondered how such a system would work across</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>state lines and overseas.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>“The biggest concern is about education,” Raezer said. “We have been</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>educating the whole country about health care with the Affordable Care Act</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>right now. This means we’d need to educate retirees and family members</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>--------------------------------------</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>"Moscow Cares"</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span><a href="http://www.MoscowCares.com">http://www.MoscowCares.com</a></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Tom Hansen</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Moscow, Idaho</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>=======================================================</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> List services made available by First Step Internet,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> <a href="http://www.fsr.net">http://www.fsr.net</a></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> <a href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com">mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com</a></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>=======================================================</span><br></blockquote><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>=======================================================</span><br><span> List services made available by First Step Internet,</span><br><span> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.</span><br><span> <a href="http://www.fsr.net">http://www.fsr.net</a></span><br><span> <a href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com">mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com</a></span><br><span>=======================================================</span></div></blockquote></div></body></html>