I would like to know how many years, and what wars Secretary Of defense Robert Gates was a participant of. He was a trouble maker at the CIA and he is still just that. He said that benefits provided under the Military system, Known as TRICARE are too generous. Well I am a retired US Army MSG E-8, and I would like to see him get along on the same TRICARE benefits that the rest of us retired military personnel have too, and put up with finding a Doctor who will accept the GREAT TRICARE that the US Government so adamantly give us for putting our lives on the line for our great Country with 20 or more years of service. I feel we should cut the medical insurance for him and all the free loader Government employee's at the expence of us TAX payers, and put them on the great TRICARE insurance that is too generous for us Military retired personnel!!!

This is bull$hit. My contract with the military specified that if I gave them 20 or more years, they would give me free health care for life. A contractis a contract. THey've been chipping away at the most underpaid people that work for the government-the military-for years. Just another slap in the face by this administration.

BTW, Robert-I am a government employee now-we do not receive any special health care program-in fact, we use my wife's because it is less expensive and use Tricare as our secondary insurance.

The politicians that get free health care for life are the ones that should lose theirs. I wonder if this includes political appointees too?

I too am a military retireee with 24 yrs service and 2 wars not including the cold war. It is most difficult to find any medical facility to accept Tricare because it is a government insurance, at one location you may findsome on who accepts prime and at another only standard which means you have to switch back and forth.

Every time we retirees lost some benefits the congress and cabinets seemed to get a pay raise, some coinceidence huh?

I was in the military as a physician for a while, and when I came to the civilian side of things I was shocked at how much health care costs in the 'real world'. When I was in the military, we only carried the finest medications in the pharmacies. Had easy access to just about any insulin, any diabetic med, any hypertensive we wanted. Now, I have to scramble my brains to figure out how to treat people 'on the cheap' because they can't afford their medications. Not to mention the premiums. A retiree pays $480 a YEAR for his or her family. I pay that for my family for a month, and I have a high deductible insurance plan which means I'm paying $4000 out of my own pocket BEFORE any insurance kicks in.

There's a lot of whining going on about the increase in premiums here for retirees, I think.

 Every family's situation is different.  That said, my husband and I would be up the creek if we had to relie on just Tricare.  It took my husband over 10 years after retirement to work his way into and through the VA claim and appeal process.  In the meanwhile we had many, many medical costs that we had to pay out of pocket simply because our doctors don't accept Tricare so we had to pay for service first and then hope to be repaid at some point.  Regarding the availability of prescriptions at military hospitals..........their formulary is rather pathetic.  Regarding mental health care...........please........there isn't any continuity of care in the military system or VA system.  Fortunately and at considerable cost to us, through my employment we have BC/BS.  By the time we pay that premium and deductible we've spent a lot and then if we file with Tricare, most of the time Tricare doesn't pay anything as they take the BCBS into account. 

Raising premiums is probably necessary but needs to be on a case by case basis.  When it comes to providing benefits to our military families and veterans, there is no such thing as a one-size fits all program.

The military moved me every couple of years to prevent what they called homesteading which prevented us from getting established in a civilian community. These moves caused expenses which included finding a new place for our family to live. Moving children from school to school. Gates I'm sure can afford any insurance however his is free with the job. My years of military service were always held precious because of comradery and common belief in protecting our country. When Gates lives on my retired pay and pays for tri care insurance for his family I'll listen. My hearing is shot because of jet engine noise. I don't know what Gates did but I'm sure he is in the position of financial bliss. I would hope all military members and retirees see gates for the evil government opportunist he is.

I'm fortunate to mostly stay healthy. But when I've been injured Tricare has been adequate for my needs as a retired officer. I don't think Tricare or any health program can flourish if health care costs continue to escalate. As long as we allow health care to be in the realm of big business, profits, investment, rather than a human need and social right, we can count on being screwed for the bottom line. It is worth looking at some who receive a govt healthcare entitlement for little effort, eg legislators, and do away with that perk.

I have RN friends who work to administer Tri-Care program and a few have quit so appalled at the type of care and protocols for medical authorizations that are stringent , unfair and destroy the families monetarily...Terrible to hear this ...

I have nothing but good experiences with Tricare, but I live within 3 miles of an Air Force Base with a regional Hospital and if I didn't have that I live only 20 miles from a VA hospital. My wife can't go to the VA hospital.

I've already had to cancel my dental that I had since 98 when I retired because of hour cuts at the job.

The big question is, what does moderate mean? Compared to $5000 that could mean anything.