Volume XIII, Issue 7 |
Page 3 |
MOAA LEGISLATIVE UPDATES |
September 5, 2003:
In mid-August, the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) mailed out a new survey instrument to an unknown number of military retirees. MOAA has obtained a copy of the survey. The survey probes the retiree community to reveal information on a wide range of subjects-some good, some bad, and some downright ugly. Consider these:
The survey asks for the same information on spouse income. MOAA is deeply disappointed and troubled by this unseemly effort and we
strongly recommend that military retirees refrain from answering those
questions that pertain to their personal finances. Back in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, Congress reduced the limits on how much Medicare could pay for these services. But every year since, Congress has delayed action to implement the lower caps. This year, Congress missed the September 1 deadline for passing another extension, despite multiple warnings. For more information on the therapy caps, go to www.apta.org/govt_affairs/cap_resourcectr. For years, service members have been billed a subsistence charge during periods of hospitalization, because they're considered to be furnished government meals. Rep. Bill Young (R-FL), Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, was incensed to learn that this is even true for troops who are hospitalized for combat wounds. He has introduced a bill (H.R. 2998) to exempt such members from paying for meals received in a military hospital. The bill, if enacted, would apply to current active duty members injured in combat, hazardous duty, war games and certain other conditions. |
Hospitalized troops
face a charge of $8 per day for their meals. In the course of a lengthy
stay, this figure can amount to hundreds of dollars upon their discharge
from the hospital.
Although service members receive the Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) as a part of their monthly pay, they're not always charged when they're provided government meals. For example, troops deployed on contingency operations aren't charged for meals even though they receive BAS. If other members of a wounded soldier's combat unit don't have to pay for their food (and we agree they shouldn't), why should the wounded member? MOAA strongly supports H.R. 2998, and we hope Chairman Young will use
his influence to secure quick passage. H.R. 1588 -- the FY2004 Defense Authorization Act -- is still pending House and Senate conference action. As mentioned above, the final bill should include substantive measures to improve health care delivery for TRICARE Standard beneficiaries. Other issues to be resolved include:
S. 1/H. 1 -- the Prescription Drug and Medicare Improvement Act of 2003 -- also is pending House and Senate conference action. In addition to the larger prescription drug authority provisions that have been in the news, the conferees need to resolve proposals to:
H.R. 1307 -- the Armed Services Tax Fairness Act -- has been pending House and Senate conference action since last spring. The somewhat less-favorable House version also was included in the House-passed H.R. 1308, the All-American |
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