# America Should Keep Our Promises 

## by U.S. Senator Tim Johnson

Friday, February 20, 2004

Most military retirees can tell you precise details about the day they
walked into their local recruiting office and signed up to serve their
country. Military recruiters routinely promised these young men and
women that the government would provide lifetime health care to military
retirees and their dependents if they served at least 20 years. By 1956,
the rising costs of health care led Congress to limit the benefits on a
\'space available\' basis---even though many recruiters continued to
make the promise. That had the effect of limiting the federal
government\'s commitment to military retiree health care.

In 1996, a group of military retirees filed a law suit in Federal Court
saying the government failed to meet its promise to provide medical care
to these veterans. It took six years before they received an answer.
While sympathetic to their argument, the court held that only Congress
can authorize the level of health care the government will provide to
military retirees.

During this time, I decided Congress needed to take steps to help
ordinary retirees. In 2000, Congress enacted my TRICARE for Life
legislation which provided health care to Medicare-eligible military
retirees. While that was a big move forward, retiree health care was
still lacking. The original Tricare still required them to pay Medicare
Part B premiums. It is time we take the next step.

On February 11th, I introduced the Keep Our Promises to America\'s
Military Retirees Act to go further in fulfilling our commitments to our
military retirees. The health care benefits of nearly 5600 South Dakota
military retirees would be improved in three ways:

1-The bill waives the required Medicare Part B payments under TRICARE
for Life for military retirees who entered the service prior to December
7, 1956. This would give these military retirees the free health care
they were promised.

2-For military retirees underserved by TRICARE, the bill would give them
the option of electing coverage under the Federal Employees Health
Benefit Program (FEHBP) rather than TRICARE.

3-Finally, the bill establishes a system to reimburse pharmacy expenses
-- at TRICARE rates -- for military retirees who cannot access TRICARE
pharmacies due to physical or medical constraints.

This bill has been endorsed by the Military Officers Association of
America, the National Association for Uniformed Services, the Retired
Enlisted Association, and the Air Force Sergeants Association. I am
proud to be working with these distinguished military retiree
organizations on this issue.

I know how poor health care and broken promises can reduce morale within
our military. A poor \"quality of life\" among our active duty
personnel, veterans, and military retirees has a direct impact on
recruitment and retention of the best and brightest in our Armed Forces.
I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the Keep Our
Promises to America\'s Military Retirees Act and to ensure our
servicemembers, our veterans, and our military retirees have the health
care they deserve.

Long ago, promises were made to those Americans who chose to serve. It
is past time we made good on them.