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In recent years, Congress restricted or rejected the Department of Defense’s (DOD) desire to increase cost-sharing to TRICARE beneficiaries as a way to shift costs and save itself money.
The House and Senate are considering bills which differ significantly regarding increasing TRICARE medication copayments.
The House-passed version, H.R. 4310, would allow modest fee increases, but it would impose caps on future co-payments beneficiaries are required to pay at levels below those allowed under current law, and far below the Administration’s plans to increase them.
The Senate version, S. 3254, contains no provision reducing DOD’s authority to increase TRICARE pharmacy co-payments, and in fact it would acknowledge that DOD already has the power to increase this tax on sick military family members.
The Senate will shortly vote on S. 3254, which would allow DOD to nearly double, and over time almost triple, medication co-payments.
DAV has a longstanding resolution (No. 209), generally opposing all health care co-payments and other forms of cost sharing, and opposing any increase in existing co-payment requirements.
Please contact your Senators today and ask them to add final language to S. 3254 that would restrict DOD’s authority to increase TRICARE pharmacy copayments. This is not a tax that military families should be required to pay.
We need your help in raising our voices loud and clear to express our unanimous opposition to this policy change. Please write your Senators today. |