No TRICARE Premium Increase
Posted by Warren Enos on 07 Feb 2010 | Tagged as: Medical Matters
GATES: NO TRICARE HIKE IN 2011 BUDGET REQUEST
By Donna Miles/American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 2010 - Tricare recipients will see no increase in their premiums next year, if Congress approves that provision of the fiscal 2011 defense budget request, as expected.
However, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told reporters yesterday he wants to work with Congress to find ways to help control escalating military health-care costs that are consuming an ever-increasing chunk of the budget.
Noting the skyrocketing costs of the military health-care system – from $19 billion in 2001 to $50.7 billion in the fiscal 2011 budget request — Gates questioned during yesterday’s Pentagon briefing how sustainable the program can remain without cost controls or higher premiums. continue reading