Reform Tricare for Life

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VA Services and Retirement

Reform Tricare for Life

Tricare costs the Pentagon over $50 billion per year providing almost free healthcare to all military retirees and their families for life, and costs are expected to climb up to $65 billion annually. Minor adjustments to fee scales for these services would help to slow the cost explosion that the VA is expected to have in the next decade. Recent proposals, for instance, have suggested raising costs by $2.50 per month for individuals or $5 a month for families. While the plan overall remains contentious, there has been consensus among veterans' advocates to tie future increases to the rate of inflation – and an understanding from Pentagon leadership that the current path and balance sheets are unsustainable.

SAVINGS

Up to $7 billion

STATUS

LINKS

“If we are going to effectively tackle the long-term national security threat posed by our national debt, then we need to seriously examine how our defense dollars are being spent. Waste and inefficiency within the Pentagon not only contributes to our nation’s debt and deficit, it also diminishes the effectiveness of our nation’s armed forces."

Dan Caldwell, USMC (ret.)
Concerned Veterans for America

“I'm concerned that our increasing fractious political process, particularly with respect to federal spending, is threatening our ability to properly defend our nation both in the short term and especially in the long term."

Dan Coats
Director of National Intelligence

“This guide is a much-needed first step toward encouraging politicians to consider all available options for substantive Pentagon reform. Our troops deserve better than broken bureaucracy, and politicians shouldn't fool themselves into thinking that throwing money at the problem is the solution."

Capt. Dan Grazier, USMC (ret.)
Project on Government Oversight

Solutions

Pursuing Smart Tradeoffs

VA Services and Retirement