Return to the Missouri House of RepresentativesWhereas, military retirees who have served honorably for twenty or more years constitute a significant part of the aging population in the United States; and
Whereas, these retirees were encouraged to make the United States Armed Forces a career, in part by the promise of lifetime health care for themselves and their families; and
Whereas, prior to age sixty-five, these retirees are provided health services by the United States Department of Defense's TRICARE prime program, but those retirees who reach the age of sixty-five lose a significant portion of the promised health care due to Medicaid eligibility; and
Whereas, many of these retirees are also unable to access military treatment facilities for health care and life maintenance medications because they live in areas where there are no military treatment facilities or where these facilities have downsized so significantly that available space for care has become nonexistent; and
Whereas, the loss of access to health care services provided by the military has resulted in the government breaking its promise of lifetime health care; and
Whereas, without continued affordable health care, including pharmaceuticals, these retirees have limited access to quality health care and significantly less care than other retired federal civilians have under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program; and
Whereas, it is necessary to enact legislation that would restore health care benefits equitable with those of other retired federal workers; and
Whereas, several proposals to meet this requirement are currently under consideration before the United States Congress and the federal Department of Defense and Department of Health and Human Services; of these proposals, the federal government has already begun to establish demonstration projects around the country to be conducted over the next three years, which would allow Medicare to reimburse the Department of Defense for the costs of providing military retirees and their dependents health care; this project would allow a limited number of Medicare-eligible beneficiaries to enroll in the Department of Defense's TRICARE prime program and receive all of their health care under that program:
Now, therefore, be it resolved that the members of the Missouri House of Representatives of the Ninetieth General Assembly, Second Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, hereby memorialize the Congress of the United States to maintain its commitment to America's military retirees by providing lifetime health care for military retirees over the age of sixty-five; to enact comprehensive legislation that affords military retirees the ability to access health care either through military treatment facilities or through the military's network of health care providers, as well as legislation to require opening the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program to those uniformed services beneficiaries who are eligible for Medicare, on the same basis and conditions that apply to retired federal civilian employees; and to enact any other appropriate legislation that would address the above concerns; and
Be it further resolved that the Chief Clerk of the of the Missouri House of Representatives be instructed to prepare properly inscribed copies of this resolution for the President of the United States, the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress, and all members of the Missouri Congressional delegation with the request that this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress of the United States.
Offered by Representative Carson Ross, Speaker Steve Gaw, et. al.Return to the Missouri House of Representatives