The Class of 58 has a serious issue to raise. We are searching for the proper way to influence the unacceptable course of military health care. We intend, as a class, to take this issue on, both publically and inside the Department of Defense. We earnestly solicit your class's support. Several or many classes will have much greater impact than one class. Please read the text below which was presented to our entire class and approved by them, with no objection, for action. If you and your class agree that this issue is important to your members and that we, as classes, may be able to bring pressure to bear on decision makers, please join us by expressing your support. If you will respond to me or to our class representative, Pete Brintnall (brintnal@erols.com), we will take it from there.

Please read on.

Summary

'58 is fast approaching age 65. This means most will soon be deprived of military health benefits. The broken promise of life-time health care affects all of us, because it is adversely impacting on recruitment and retention. It is an impediment to ensuring the strong and highly motivated military that we need to defend our country. Tests are underway to extend TRICARE to Medicare-eligible retirees, but this would help only 30% to 40%.

We also need access to the Federal Employee Health Benefit Plan (FEHBP) that covers all Federal employees except the military. Our senior military leadership is doing nothing to solve the problem, and unless we take action  now, it will only get worse. We can make a difference by involving other classes, the AOG and by taking our case to the highest civilian and military authorities.

The Problem

1.3 million Medicare-eligible military retirees over 65 today rising to 1.6 million by 2005. Retirees over 65 represent more than 50 percent of Military Health System beneficiaries.

Federal statues prohibit staffing military hospitals to treat patients 65 and older. Medicare-eligible retirees 65 and older may receive care on a "space available" basis solely on the determination of the hospital or clinic commander.

Space-available care is shrinking due to base closures and reduced clinic and hospital capacity.

Our Government Broke its Promise

* Beginning in 1956 recruiting and retention literature promised superb health care "for the rest of your life". Such advertisements continued until 1993

* In 1966 congress declined to extend CHAMPUS eligibility beyond 65, asserting that the abundance of space available medical care in military facilities plus Medicare offered uniformed services retirees a viable "two-track" health care system.

* In 1991 the Congressional Research Service concluded that "free health care for life" promise was functionally true and had been used to good advantage for recruiting and retention.

Two Programs Can Fix This

TRICARE Senior Prime: Medicare subvention for making seniors eligible for   TRICARE. (If implemented, it will benefit 30-40% of Medicare-eligible retirees.)

Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) The health care program covering non-uniformed Federal retirees, to include letter carriers, Civil Service, Congressional staffs. The Federal Government pays 72% of the FEHBP premiums. It is not cut off at 65 as is TRICARE.

Current Situation

DoD and other federal agencies budget more than $3 billion per year for retired civil annuitants 65 and older to pay for the government's share of the FEHBP premium. Comparatively, DoD budgets and receives about $1.3 billion per year to provide "space available" care to a limited number of older retirees who live near a military treatment facility. Why should the President and every congressman have the benefit of FEHBP for just a few years of Federal service when career military do not? Our senior Armed Forces leaders do not appear at all concerned over this problem, and Congress won't solve it unless they ask for it in their budget requests. If we are going to solve this problem we need to both work on Congress and to put pressure on our senior military leaders. Someone has to tell them in no uncertain terms that they are shirking their responsibilities, that they are letting us down. Let them know that they are perpetuating the broken promise that retirees and their spouses would receive health care. Let them know that in all good conscience, we can no longer recommend that bright young men and women make military service a career because the Services are not keeping their promises. Let them known that this is an issue affecting recruiting and retention.

A Call to Action

What should we do? We suggest parallel approaches, one conventional and one non-conventional. First, become a member of TROA and support in their efforts so secure passage of legislation for both to expand TRICARE Senior Prime and to open FEHBP to Medicare-eligible retirees You may contact TROA at www.troa.org. You can find the names of your Senators and Representatives at the TROA link. Second, subscribe to TROA's weekly legislative update and contact elected  officials. You can do this by sending your name, address, service and TROA member number (if you have one) via e-mail to legis@troa.org. You may receive the weekly update even if you are not a dues paying member of TROA. Third, take this to our senior military and civilian leaders. To that end,  we ask you to support the following resolution: