TRICARE/Medicare Cuts Loom

Retirees who breathed a sigh of relief on April 1, when Congress acted to stop a plan to cut TRICARE and Medicare payments to health care providers by 21 percent, are resting uneasy again. Lawmakers recessed before taking comparable action to quell a similar cut in payments that took effect June 1. Advocates for present and retired service members are, understandably, up in arms. “This is serious stuff,” the Military Officers Association said on its Web site. Beneficiaries are “afraid that their access to health care will be disrupted,” because fewer physicians will be willing to treat them. The House is working on a provision that would put off the cuts until Jan. 1, 2012, MOAA wrote.