Gates Suggests Raising Health Care Premiums for Employed Veterans
Wednesday, September 08, 2010

With the Department of Defense staring at enormous cost increases for its health care program, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is proposing raising premiums for the first time ever since the creation of the Tricare system in 1996.

Health care costs for the Pentagon have ballooned from $19 billion in 2000 to an estimated $50 billion for next year, and $65 billion by 2015. Gates wants to avoid increasing premiums for active-duty personnel and their families. Instead, he’s suggesting charging higher premiums and co-pay fees for retired veterans using Tricare who have access to private health care plans through their current employers.

Gates’ idea is likely to have a tough time gaining approval in Congress, where both Democrats and Republicans have been reluctant to lift Tricare premiums for any military personnel.