Obama: VA, TRICARE Won’t Change

Reacting to strong concerns expressed by military and veterans’ service organizations, President Obama said that medical services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs and TRICARE would not change under any national health-care reform plans now under consideration. TRICARE and VA "will not be affected by our efforts at broader health-care reform," Obama told reporters Aug. 4. Nevertheless, some military organizations are urging its members to let the White House and their representatives on Capitol Hill know that they do not want their health-care system lumped in with a group that would serve the general populace. “TRICARE is an earned benefit that should not be folded into a ‘one size fits all’ scheme,’ the Air Force Association said in a statement on its Web site. Retired Army Gen. Gordon Sullivan, president of the Association of the U.S. Army, goes a step further, urging AUSA members to sign and submit a prepared letter, entitled “Protecting Military/Veteran Health Care During Health Care Reform." It, too, is available on the AUSA Web site.