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Legislative Update Week of June 9, 2003
Too often, veterans -- who believe they will have access to health care throughout their lives -- end up with a nasty surprise: the base nearby, which they count on for their medical care, closes. Because the veteran did not sign up for Medicare Part B when he or she reached the age of 65, the veteran ends up paying a “late” fee or penalty in order to enroll in that program. The veteran is assessed a penalty of 10% for every year beyond the age of 65 he or she is when the veteran signs up for Medicare Part B. The veteran is forced to sign up in order to obtain TRICARE benefits when a base is closed and the veteran no longer has access to health care through military facilities. The military retiree, because of fairly recent changes in health care programs, often had no way of knowing he or she needed to be enrolled in Part B. Under current law, there is an open enrollment period for the first three months of each year, but that doesn’t help veterans who find themselves with huge medical bills in June or July. Recently, Congressman Ben Cardin (D-MD), along with a host of bipartisan cosponsors, reintroduced legislation that would waive the penalty for those military retirees who did not enroll for Medicare Part B when they first turned 65. Under the proposal (H.R.2361), retirees could sign up for Medicare Part B -- without being assessed a penalty -- until December 2004. In the 107th Congress, Representative Cardin’s bill was rolled into Medicare reform legislation that passed the House, but was not signed into public law. Senator John Ensign introduced a companion measure in the last Congress, and is expected to do so again this year. TSCL supports H.R.2361, as does The Retired Enlisted Association and the Military Coalition. We are hopeful that the proposal will either pass as a lone standing bill this year, or once again is incorporated into more comprehensive legislation -- legislation that this year is enacted into public law. June 2003 | ||||||||
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