Robert Gates Says Healthcare Costs Hurt Defense Budget

COLA increases for medical benefits make sense.

If that isn't satisfactory, then have costs tied to your retired rank (like hotel costs at Hale Koa, or base billeting at transit quarters).

If you don't like those ideas, then establish a base plan for people to use Express-scripts and generics and increase the fees for drugs which are selected (but have generic substitutes) and for using local pharmacies instead of the mail.

You also could have a higher fee for drugs like Viagra, which might give a better quality of life, but which aren't in the life saving mode.

Having said that - another way to (fairly) keep retirement costs in check would be to have your first retirement calculation be your base for life. COLAs would be calculated on that base and added each year, but would not be compounded. Doesn't make a big difference in the retiree's pay, but the overall savings over 20, 30 or 40 years would be huge.

Mike Kauffman of CA 4:14PM February 25, 2011

Every business has calculated what it costs to hire an employee. Businesses don't care if these costs are paid out in wages or in benefits. It's all the same to them.

There is also a cost to hiring a soldier (or physician) to go out in a war zone and put his life on the line. The soldier (or physician, or engineer, say) calculates how much it is worth for him to do this. Military wages are low but benefits like health care for him/herself and his/her family are better. To him/her it's all part of the calculation "Is this job worth doing...?"

I suppose if the health care benefits are drastically reduced it will get very difficult to attract people wiling to go fight in America's perpetual wars. After all, part of what makes it worth being a soldier is knowing his family will be taken care of should he die or become severely incapacitated.

I do not dispute that military expenditures are too high. But what needs to be rethought in curtailing these costs is America's policy of being involved in everything, everywhere, all the time -- not what we are paying our soldiers (in wages and benefits).

The number of overseas bases we have is staggering. Are all these bases really necessary to keep America safe...?

If we weren't eveywhere all the time we could afford a smaller military and to take care of our military personnel. I don't think the weapon manufacturers will be too happy about that idea though. Their lobbiests will stomp their feet all the way to their nearest congressman and remind them what a dangerous world we live in....

Carol 10:21AM February 25, 2011

I would recommend this health insurance plan i found through wise health insurance to anyone with a growing family who is looking to minimize their medical expenses.

velmacarol123 of TX 3:02AM February 25, 2011

The first sentence in the next to last paragraph is incorrect. You have the wrong information about the amount of the enrollment fee in TRICARE Prime and the size of the increases. The current fee for retirees who enroll in TRICARE Prime (the managed care version of the military health insurance) is $230 per year for an individual and $460 for a family. DoD is proposing an increase to $260 for an individual and $520 for a family--yes, that is still per year. There are some minor changes proposed for pharmacy co-pays--that's it. For more information see: http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=62828.

Joyce Wessel of VA 1:10PM February 24, 2011