washington scene
TMC’s letter particularly emphasized the pharmacy copayment and retirement commission issues.
“Defense leaders’ claims that higher copayments are essential to offset dramatically rising costs ring hollow,” it said, “when their reprogramming requests show costs actually declined this year, and expenses have been nearly $3 billion less than expected over the last three years.”
As for the proposed retirement commission, “TMC objects strenuously to short-circuiting the normal legislative process by imposing BRAC-like consideration rules on an issue [military retirement] that has proven so crucial to long-term retention and readiness.”
TMC also expressed support for anticipated Senate amendments to address unfair compensation penalties experienced by disabled retirees and military survivors.
Quote of the Month “There’s no excuse for allowing the sequester to happen. It’s one thing to be a dysfunctional Congress, and it’s another thing to make the Pentagon and the people pay for congressional dysfunction.”
— Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.)
“Top Lobbyist” Recognition
MOAA is honored for sixth consecutive year.
The Hill, the largest-circulation newspaper on Capitol Hill, has published its annual list of “Top Lobbyists,” and for the sixth straight year, MOAA made the list.
MOAA President Vice Adm. Norbert R.Ryan Jr., USN (Ret), “is leading the charge to protect military health care and veterans benefits from the deep budget cuts that are on tap for 2013,” The Hill stated.
“We’re very proud and humbled to be recognized by The Hill,” Ryan says. “We appreciate the recognition very much for our work on behalf of the military and veterans’ community. It is the entire MOAA team — our board of directors; our entire staff, led by Col. Steve Strobridge, USAF (Ret), and his Government Relations team; our strong chapter system; our partners; and our terrific members who give us One Powerful Voice®. We’ll need that entire team more than ever in the challenging months ahead.”
Pharmacy FAQs
MOAA answers your questions.
A survey of MOAA Legislative Update subscribers showed 97 percent of readers support the House-passed provision that would limit TRICARE pharmacy copayment increases but require TRICARE For Life (TFL)-eligible beneficiaries to try the mail-order pharmacy (or use military pharmacies) for maintenance medication refills for one year. (The alternative is accepting the far larger current and future copayment increases the Senate would allow.)
After speaking with Express Scripts Inc. (the TRICARE pharmacy contractor) and TRICARE officials, we can answer some specific questions about how such a system would be implemented.
32 MILITARY OFFICER DECEMBER 2012
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