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Military Retirees Fight For Health Benefits

Sun, 10/01/2000 - 11:00pm — Karen Stevenson
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Lois Caliri of The Roanoke Times has written a series about problems miliary retirees are having in getting coverage for health benefits. Retirees talk of promises made when they enlisted of "lifetime health care" after 20 years of service. Instead, they find that they have access to free care only if they live within driving distance of a military hospital, and are otherwise subject to the limited coverage that Medicare provides, with its high co-payments and deductibles and lack of coverage for prescription drug benefits. The "space-available" care provided in military hospitals is also sometimes not available even if the retiree is able to get there, since the hospitals give first priority to active duty personnel. A number of bills are floating around Congress to address these concerns, but it is doubtful that any will pass in the short time remaining before Congress adjourns October 6.

Lois Caliri of The Roanoke Times has written a series about problems miliary retirees are having in getting coverage for health benefits. Retirees talk of promises made when they enlisted of "lifetime health care" after 20 years of service. Instead, they find that they have access to free care only if they live within driving distance of a military hospital, and are otherwise subject to the limited coverage that Medicare provides, with its high co-payments and deductibles and lack of coverage for prescription drug benefits. The "space-available" care provided in military hospitals is also sometimes not available even if the retiree is able to get there, since the hospitals give first priority to active duty personnel. A number of bills are floating around Congress to address these concerns, but it is doubtful that any will pass in the short time remaining before Congress adjourns October 6.