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Follow the Trends Keep up-to-date on the latest COLA trends, in- cluding the final COLA for FY 2015, at www.moaa .org/colawatch.

are based on the annual COLA for retired military pay. Surviving family members of military sponsors who died on active duty and medically retired servicemembers and their family members are exempt from the fee increases.

Increases to TRICARE enrollment fees United Voice,

United Purpose The Military Coalition provides access and influence.

Since 2011, beneficiaries have seen TRICARE Prime enrollment fees increase by 23 percent, double the rate of infla- tion over the same period. Pharmacy copayments vary by class, but over the same time span, beneficiaries have seen a 145-percent increase in pharmacy costs. After freezing annual TRICARE fees for 13 consecutive years, defense planners tried for several years to play catch-up by propos- ing rate increases up to 300 and 400 per- cent over a five-year period. MOAA argued that such a dramatic spike in fees could fi- nancially devastate retired military families. In an attempt to prevent disproportion-

ate increases, MOAA convinced Congress to index TRICARE Prime enrollment fees to the Consumer Price Index versus the much higher health care inflation in the FY 2012 National Defense Authoriza- tion Act (NDAA). In the FY 2014 NDAA, MOAA secured another win by getting Congress to tie pharmacy fee increases to COLAs (rather than much higher DoD- proposed hikes). However, when it comes to pharmacy

fees, Congress hasn’t followed its own law. In addition to last year’s dispro- portionate pharmacy fee increase above inflation, the FY 2016 Defense Authoriza- tion Act raises some fees by an additional $2 to $4 next year. “Beneficiaries are paying enough,” says Capt. Kathy Beasley, USN (Ret), a MOAA deputy director of Government Relations. “Congress needs to look at other ways to control health care costs before trying to pass the buck to military families.”

34 MILITARY OFFICER NOVEMBER 2015 M

ore can be accomplished on Capitol Hill when the military community comes together with

one powerful voice. Formed in 1985, The Military Coalition (TMC) works hard to project a clear, united message to Congress. A powerful consortium of over 30

military, veterans’, and uniformed services organizations, TMC celebrates its 30th an- niversary this winter. TMC serves one unit- ed purpose: to maintain a strong national defense, provided by recruiting and retain- ing highly skilled and capable personnel. While each association has its own pro-

grams and goals, the coalition forges a com- mon agenda each year and testifies before Congress on critical national defense issues. The coalition’s strength lies with its membership: 5.5 million collective mem- bers. Those numbers provide two things on Capitol Hill: access and, most impor- tant, influence. When the membership is an active participant in the legislative pro- cess, members of Congress act. At times, not all TMC associations

agree on a position, but that is one of the key strengths of the coalition. Being able to come together and discuss the pros and cons of military compensation and benefit proposals delivers a greater understanding of the implications at hand. The coalition is instrumental in educat- ing Congress on the need to improve pay, benefits, and quality-of-life programs for the uniformed service community. The work of the coalition speaks for

itself: Over the course of the century’s first decade, MOAA and TMC persuaded Congress to close a 13.5-percent pay gap