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Post by privateinvestor on Jul 2, 2011 11:31:22 GMT -5
]Re: Rumsfield :Hike Military Health PremiumsNews Flash Military Health Premiums have been recently hiked (16 February 2011)..but not sure because of Rumsfeld or not.. VA to Modify Outpatient Pricing Methodologies in 2011 The Department of Veterans Affairs will begin using Medicare payment methodology for outpatient procedures performed by non-VA providers. VA expects to implement the changes on Feb. 16, 2011. The change allows VA to use the following Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Prospective Payment Systems (PPS) and Fee Schedules: •Ambulatory Surgical Center •Anesthesia •Clinical Laboratory •Hospital Outpatient PPS •End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) VA will continue to use the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. The new pricing methodology will not affect existing contracts VA has in place with non-VA providers. The pricing changes are a result of a rule change to 38 CFR 17.56. This federal regulation gives VA instructions for paying medical claims when eligible Veterans receive care in community facilities. VA chose to adopt CMS methodology for outpatient claims because it is a standard in the health care industry and non-VA providers are already familiar with it. It is also consistent with VA's existing payment methods for physician services and inpatient care. Additionally, the changes come with a significant cost savings to VA. VA is notifying Veterans and non-VA providers of the rule change. Veterans will receive notice on their authorizations for non-VA care; providers will receive a letter from VA explaining the changes. We will update this site as additional information becomes available. For more information on VA's Non-VA Care Program, please visit www.nonvacare.va.gov/. Click here to view the VA Press Release on the regulation change. Alaska Providers, click here for information. www.nonvacare.va.gov/
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2011 20:29:09 GMT -5
Just a couple of "general" facts about military pension (& this is the old one. I know nothing about the new one).
As I've said before they didn't pay you much because the pension & medical were supposed to be the incentives for you to stay in.
If you didn't serve in time of war many times there wasn't a big change over in people so promotions could be very slow. (Remember your rank when you retire has a lot to do which how much you got). Back when I was an AMN most of the retired enlisted that I saw were retired staff sergeants. True you get cost of living raises & they were making more than they did when they retired BUT we are talking (back then) about $400 IF they lived long enough. Also understand that even in the A.F. MOST of the retired people will be enlisted & receive pretty low retirement checks.
I have gotten the cost of living raises all along the way (I've been retired about 20 years) but even in the low cost of living area that I live in I would qualify for welfare if that was my only income (make that the max welfare that you can get).
Also (& this is a BIG point) many times in the military the job requirements (& getting the job done) either requires you to hurt your body in some way to do the job. Examples that I know of (& know the people) first hand: Survival school, My uncle parachuted into one of the South American rivers with a full pack on....breaking his collar bone when the shoot opened. He then had to swim to the edge of the river (btw) or drowned. My wife once loaded a 250 lb drag shoot by her self & of course that wasn't a one time thing. I've never met an AF mechanic that had good knee's & they usually have bad backs. Also many of them have kisses located on their chests (kiss - a hole made from walking into one of the instrument pipes sticking out from the front of the plane. Those holes can be impressive (one of my neighbors had one about 3 inches deep). Understand, having these injuries are just "part of the job" & expected because the mission ALWAYS comes first. You can bet that during Desert Storm some of those planes that flew had engines either repaired or replaces between missions. That means working with metal that's over 100 degrees in the desert heat. The guys that did that were just doing their jobs but (trust me) it was a suck job. Oh & compressed disks if you eject from an airplane & the list goes on & on.
Oh & I'll also point out that until President Bush signed it into law the military was the ONLY part of the federal government that was exempt from receiving any form of disability pay. Now you can get disability pay but it is a bitch to get usually, taking years to get qualified. My wife's was approved pretty quick & only took about 3 years from start to finish. Also it's based on a strange kind of percentage system (I can't explain it because I didn't understand it) that makes it pretty hard to be 100% disabled. Something about a percentage of a percentage of what's left after you already have a percentage of disability. Again, I didn't understand it.
So the point is (using us as an example) I'm retired with 20 in, my wife retired with 24 in, my wife also gets disability pay & all of that added together comes to a good deal less than the normal average cost of a new SUV. Again you do get cost of living raises but they are controlled by congress. Maybe you could get "rich" (rich as in making more money than you could reasonably spend) from military retirement BUT my guess is that to do that would require you to live somewhere in the area of 250 years old.
Lastly, yes you can double dip (as in work a 2nd government job after you retire). I see nothing wrong with it particular if your working in a military related field. There are a lot of odd things that come to play in the military & a civilian might work for many years before finding out even most of them. It saves a lot of training time by using retired military members (such as why something is done the way it's done). Of course that only applies if you want to work for the government again (I damn sure wouldn't) & are physically able. My wife has a double dip job (good example). She makes minimum wage at the local military vet clinic & is paid about 3 to 5 dollars less per hour than her civilian counterparts. Plus she has 3 or 4 (I know of 3 for sure but think she has one related to her old job) degree's. She works for (as we in the military used to call it) shits & grins to keep from getting bored.
My guess is that the retired military people out there are some of the most pro government & pro our country citizens in the U.S. If the government was "hurting" for money & asked I'm betting that most of those retired people would gladly give up 10% of their retirement (or more) voluntarily if they could at all afford it (I believe that I would). On the other hand a lot of us can be a little stubborn & we don't like something that we have already earned being taken away from us (we kind of feel betrayed by our government). Since we are a minority & our votes really don't count (we are to spread out) I could definitely see a few of the hot headed ones doing something more than suing or protesting the rape of the retired military even if it was over $2.00. Sometimes it's just the principle of the thing & the ONE thing that I believe that all military members learn during their time in is that principles are worth dieing over.
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Post by privateinvestor on Jul 2, 2011 20:32:53 GMT -5
My guess is that the retired military people out there are some of the most pro government & pro our country citizens in the U.SYou guessed correctly and I cannot speak for the retired military but will say most are ok with just being around to enjoy their later years because so many are NOT. And those enrolled at the VA Hospital have seen the care improved tremendously since @ 15 yrs ago.. The older retirees that I know really don't get very big pensions. The enlisted who retired in the 70s & 80s after 20 years probably receive now with the COLAs @ $1300.00 per month..of course Field Grade and General Officers get much, much more and I have no idea what their pensions are and probably don't want to know either..
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Post by djAdvocate on Jul 2, 2011 20:33:35 GMT -5
I'm against taking anything away from military personnel, past or present. They deserve everything they get--- FAR more than lots of gov't people who are never in harm's way in their life except driving their cars on the freeway. NO!! It never entered my mind to enlist, because I am not that brave, to be honest. But many friends, family, etc, have served or are serving. My step-father was AF for 20 years or so, fought in Korea, he and my deceased mother had Tri-Care, loved it.. NO taking from military personnel. Find another way. Even people that never end up fighting deserve it, because at any time they COULD have been sent off to fight and maybe die. NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! i am against it, as well. Tri-care rules. we should have something like it available for every citizen, despite what Kristol says.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2011 21:30:48 GMT -5
i am against it, as well.
Tri-care rules. we should have something like it available for every citizen, despite what Kristol says. My neighbor feels the same way (even if they have done nothing to earn it). He is a democrat & very "social Program" aimed. As you can guess, we rarely talk politics. I do find it interesting that he has never brought up stopping the abuses of the welfare system. He was telling me yesterday that a guy that works for him has a SIL that abuses the system. She (at one time) had a back problem. Once the money started she just continued seeing the doctor to stay on the program. She gets everything free & makes extra money by selling the oxycodone that she gets for her back pain for $50 per tablet. I guess (just a guess, I don't know) that he figures that stuff like that will always be in the system (kind of an Oh well). I'm much more of a put her to work & make her pay that money back or go to jail type person. Oh well.
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Post by djAdvocate on Jul 2, 2011 21:42:33 GMT -5
i am against it, as well.
Tri-care rules. we should have something like it available for every citizen, despite what Kristol says. My neighbor feels the same way (even if they have done nothing to earn it). He is a democrat & very "social Program" aimed. As you can guess, we rarely talk politics. LOL! well, i am absolutely against unfunded mandates, but i think our healthcare is far too expensive and unfairly distributed, here. i think we can do a lot better. and i think that Tri-care is a good example of what it might look like. if people are willing to pay for it.
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Post by privateinvestor on Jul 2, 2011 21:42:57 GMT -5
Here's the Tri Care Link if you are interested: www.tricare.mil/You can type in most questions and get a response
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Post by djAdvocate on Jul 2, 2011 21:45:32 GMT -5
Here's the Tri Care Link if you are interested: www.tricare.mil/You can type in most questions and get a response i saved the link. but all of my inlaws are on this plan, so i have seen it up close and personal. and all i can say is: DAMN! it is one helluva program.
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Post by privateinvestor on Jul 2, 2011 21:51:02 GMT -5
Here's the Tri Care Link if you are interested: www.tricare.mil/You can type in most questions and get a response i saved the link. but all of my inlaws are on this plan, so i have seen it up close and personal. and all i can say is: DAMN! it is one helluva program. Yes it is but too bad Obamacare doens't measure up to Tri Care but the costs would probably be prohibitive..
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Post by djAdvocate on Jul 2, 2011 21:54:31 GMT -5
i saved the link. but all of my inlaws are on this plan, so i have seen it up close and personal. and all i can say is: DAMN! it is one helluva program. Yes it is but too bad Obamacare doens't measure up to Tri Care but the costs would probably be prohibitive.. probably. i know this is not the place for personal comments, given that what i think and what others think are probably at odds, but i would gladly pay 100% of the premium to be in that system. the cost of it is about the same as what i am paying now, and the coverages are far better. i know that there is a general perception that most Americans want the care for free, and are unwilling to pay for it, but i am not sure it is true. but i am also not here to argue it is NOT true.
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Post by BeenThere...DoneThat... on Jul 2, 2011 21:59:57 GMT -5
...fwiw, I'd like to see the stats on reductions in welfare payouts before I'm willing to support reductions in military pay/benefits... call me stingy, but there you have it...
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Post by privateinvestor on Jul 2, 2011 22:22:52 GMT -5
...fwiw, I'd like to see the stats on reductions in welfare payouts before I'm willing to support reductions in military pay/benefits... call me stingy, but there you have it... We have a new Sec Def now Leon Panetta so don't know what he will do as far as cutting defense more than his predecessor.. You could see a cut of @$100 billion if the Liberals get their way for cutting defense which is twice the cut that is now on the table..The Pentagon wants to keep @ 20,000 troops in Iraq for another year but the Liberals think that is ridiculous..I think you may see a rallying cry soon in congress "Bring these War Dollars home to meet vital human needs, promote job creation, rebuild our infrastructure, aid state and municipal governments, and reduce the national debt" Rumsfeld is correct there are going to be hikes in military heath care premiums.. we have seen an increase in pharmacy costs this past few years..
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Post by privateinvestor on Jul 3, 2011 8:07:35 GMT -5
Double dipping is a way of life for most of us who were not officers, life would be tough on just a military pension. The cost to send a child to college alone is more than most receive annually....BC's tuition, room and board for freshmen is @$30,000 per year.
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Post by deziloooooo on Jul 3, 2011 11:02:27 GMT -5
Actually , for many , more then one pension has been earned if one has worked long enough at different corportions that offered pensions, less so today I am afraid, but as long as one is vested, have the years in , you get a pension from all those you worked .
I get two Pensions..not hugh, but since I didn't put anything into them..I have no complaints, they add up, are helpful in my retirement..in fact i continued in one of those companies a year and a half longer then I normally would just to make sure I would be vested before leasving them..and retiring.
Isn't that considered double dipping in a way?
From the military family, it would be a natural..one goes in young, it is a career for the younger ones, even officers..and if one puts in 20 years or a few more, you retire very young..in ones 40's or less..depending..and then to go work in the private, especially if one has also gotten educated during or after..another career will be there, and if one is vested, another pension..seems normal to me.
How can one object??
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2011 11:18:17 GMT -5
Just to point out that I believe that we are talking about the OLD military retirement system. It has changed & I believe that you have to put in more years to get close to the same percentage. Retirement at 20 will not get you the same percentage that it used to.
Oh & just added info. Promotions are much faster these days (for obvious reasons). A friend just got promoted & they were promoting something like 40% of the eligible people to Tsgt this year. I think when I was in only 28% made Tsgt in a career.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2011 11:19:35 GMT -5
Oh & as I said I did feel betrayed by the government when this came up. Thinking about it I guess I fit it with the rest of the population, they were betrayed too.
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Post by privateinvestor on Jul 3, 2011 13:05:44 GMT -5
A word of advice to those close to military retirement or recently retired get to the VA as soon as possible to ascertain if you are eligible for VA Health& Medical Coverage. I think it is awesome and improved a lot since General Shinseki, USA ret took over as head of the VA...not bad for an Army General but I like what he has done so far and read his monthly letters and updates to us religiously..
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2011 13:46:40 GMT -5
I'm guessing you fall under the "original" retirement plan OldTex - 50% at 20 years
Yes.
A word of advice to those close to military retirement or recently retired get to the VA as soon as possible to ascertain if you are eligible for VA Health& Medical Coverage.
I guess they changed that too. When I retired you got the military system medical coverage & weren't eligible for the VA system unless you received a disability & you couldn't get both.
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Post by privateinvestor on Jul 3, 2011 14:04:31 GMT -5
I'm guessing you fall under the "original" retirement plan OldTex - 50% at 20 yearsYes. A word of advice to those close to military retirement or recently retired get to the VA as soon as possible to ascertain if you are eligible for VA Health& Medical Coverage.I guess they changed that too. When I retired you got the military system medical coverage & weren't eligible for the VA system unless you received a disability & you couldn't get both. I am not sure what the eliligibilty for the VA is now but here's their website I was enrolled @ 15 years ago.. www.va.govor this one if you need help because I hate to give you bad information or outdated information: iris.custhelp.com/
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Post by robbase on Jul 3, 2011 14:55:25 GMT -5
Retiree rates have not been raised since 1996. Yes it it time to raise the rates.
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Post by privateinvestor on Jul 3, 2011 17:48:18 GMT -5
Retiree rates have not been raised since 1996. Yes it it time to raise the rates. Which retiree rates are you refering to robbase?? Tri Care?? Or VA Health Care??
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Post by robbase on Jul 4, 2011 3:25:57 GMT -5
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Post by privateinvestor on Jul 4, 2011 8:31:39 GMT -5
VA Medical Rates are based on your income for those who don't have a disability from their service years.. Which is as it should be and I am OK with that..but you may want to reread the Tri Care link I posted because I do believe some of their costs for pharmaceuticals have increased or are about to be increased, I think??
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Post by robbase on Jul 4, 2011 9:31:19 GMT -5
I would argue that it's time to lower the rates...back to the pre-1996 days
you would argue this based on what exactly? do we have the money to pay for this? everyone is all for generic "cuts" in the budget due to our growing deficit, but when someone mentions a specific "cut", then everyone is like "well, but we can't cut that"....so what do we cut?
Social Security, Medicare, & Defense are the big budget killers after all, something has to give
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Post by privateinvestor on Jul 4, 2011 9:36:18 GMT -5
I would argue that it's time to lower the rates...back to the pre-1996 daysyou would argue this based on what exactly? do we have the money to pay for this? everyone is all for generic "cuts" in the budget due to our growing deficit, but when someone mentions a specific "cut", then everyone is like "well, but we can't cut that"....so what do we cut? Social Security, Medicare, & Defense are the big budget killers after all, something has to give Social Security & Medicare cuts are one of the hang ups with the debt reduction talks and Defense Spending cuts are all over the map and range from @$40 Billion to @$100 Billion..
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Post by djAdvocate on Jul 4, 2011 10:52:23 GMT -5
I would argue that it's time to lower the rates...back to the pre-1996 days . tri-care didn't exist prior to 1996.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2011 19:19:28 GMT -5
The military will gets screw on this (yet again) for two basic reasons. 1. Their votes don't count enough for any politician to cater to them & 2. Nobody really cares that much who's vote is important to politicians.
It's happened before & it will happen again. I doubt that even 2 or 3 hard core retirees taking action will do any more than get politicians to pass a bill to hire bodyguards for all politicians (& yes, I'm pretty sure that it will happen. It just about always happens when the majority singles out a minority to rape).
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Post by djAdvocate on Jul 4, 2011 19:21:49 GMT -5
That was my point... ;D Seriously though, upon further reflection, you guys are right. Enjoy your holiday. sorry. little dense today.
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Post by privateinvestor on Jul 4, 2011 19:43:16 GMT -5
The military will gets screw on this (yet again) for two basic reasons. 1. Their votes don't count enough for any politician to cater to them & 2. Nobody really cares that much who's vote is important to politicians. It's happened before & it will happen again. I doubt that even 2 or 3 hard core retirees taking action will do any more than get politicians to pass a bill to hire bodyguards for all politicians (& yes, I'm pretty sure that it will happen. It just about always happens when the majority singles out a minority to rape). Hey Old Tex...I belong to a retired military internet community and some of the "old Salts" write letters to their congressmen or congresswomen on a daily basis and ask the rest of us to pass on these letters to our congress members.. Don't ask me if these letters do any good because I haven't a clue.. But sadly most military retirees are APolitical and have much more on their plate these days..it is called the "Aging Process"..
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Post by ❤ mollymouser ❤ on Jul 4, 2011 20:39:05 GMT -5
My wonderful DH will be under the High 3 Plan. He will be "retirement eligible" in 3 years for a 20-year "active duty" retirement (but he's been in longer since many of his years were years spent as a "traditional Guardsman.") At the 20-year Active Duty Mark (July 2, 2014), if he retired then he would receive 50% of his base pay. His hope is to stay in 6 years past that point, which would let him retire with 65% of his base pay ~ each additional year served adds 2.5%. (Well, his base pay averaged for the three years before he retires.) If all goes as planned, when he's finally done 9 years from now, he will be 54 and will have served in the Air National Guard for 37 years.
In the meantime, my focus is on his next deployment, coming up next month.........
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