• For many years military retirees and their family members under age 65, as well as the active duty military, have experienced difficulties getting the health care they are entitled to from the Tricare System. This is especially true of Tricare Standard, which has been incorrectly advertised as a Fee For Service system.

• For years members of the military retiree community have recognized the need for Tricare systemic reform to correct Tricare's problems. It was well recognized that the difficulties were not sufficiently documented to establish a need for reform, and that the management mechanisms of the Department of Defense were inadequate to address the problems from within DoD.

• See the Tricare Unauthorized Complaint File, which has been on the Internet since 13 April 1997, for examples of problems being encountered. 

• The focus of DoD for years has been on marketing, rather than on addressing the long-standing systemic issues. Members of the grass roots community determined that, as was the case in the Colonel Day Class Act Lawsuit for older retirees, nothing would happen unless grass roots action was taken to effect change and provide a written basis for action.

• For many years the "entire" military retiree community was united in trying to obtain a solution to the inadequate health care problem, all were experiencing, until year 2000 when the "Tricare for Life" legislation was passed to assist military retirees over age 65. That legislation implied, by its very name, that retirees wanted Tricare for Life, and was a misnomer. Many in Congress and elsewhere were led to believe, due to heavy publicity surrounding the TFL program, that the military health care problems were solved.

• Following the enactment of TFL, many older military retirees were no longer active participants in the Tricare health care issues that did not affect them such as Tricare Standard. The task of addressing the problems with Tricare -- which generally did not affect older retirees any longer -- became increasingly difficult when many of those previously focusing on health care issues began concentrating, during year 2001, on the issue of Concurrent Receipt.

• In late 2001 members of the Military Retiree Grass Roots Group (MRGRG) community united to focus on a single document to tell the story about what is wrong with the Tricare System, and offer solutions.

• It was recognized that the document needed to be in sufficient depth to fully explain Tricare problems to the Congress, the Department of Defense (DoD), the news media, and other concerned agencies such as the Presidential Task Force on Improving Veterans Health Care.

• As a result of this need, a group of military retiree volunteers came together in December 2001 and began a document which later became known as the White Paper on Military Health Care.

• Getting the actual work done, and getting the White Paper on the Internet as a web site, took from mid-December, 2001 until 20 May 2002. The 214 page White Paper document was coordinated on the Internet using an informal management structure based upon a "book manager" to standardize preparation of the detailed TABS containing supporting factual material. The finalized documents were then posted on the Internet. Click here to see the White Paper on-line.

• After the White Paper was completed, volunteer groups were formed to do the work that was necessary to make the document available to members of Congress in Washington, DC, their local offices at the state level, the news media, and the public. This was done via the Internet, CDs, and printed copy. Click here to down load Adobe (.pdf) and MS Word (.doc) copies of the White Paper.

• A member of the Springfield Missouri Military Retiree Council prepared over 700 White Paper CDs for distribution. In addition VIP White Paper booklets were prepared for distributed to all members of Congress, and selected Military Associations. The White Paper was also presented to The President's Task Force to Improve Health Care for Our Nation's Veterans while they were visiting in the Springfield, MO, area.

• Three members of the Military Retiree Grass Roots Group, in Virginia, completed distribution of the White Paper on 2 July 2002 to all 100 Senate offices and all 435 offices in the House of Representatives. Click here for a Press Release.

• Military Retiree Grass Root Groups in Oklahoma and New Mexico printed White Paper booklets which were mailed to Congressional District Offices.

• Tom Philpott published an article titled, White Paper Stirs Talk of Tricare Standard Reforms. Click here to see the Tom Philpott article.

• The SASC Congressional staff asked DoD to comment on the White Paper. DoD responded with comments on the 3 page letter given to each member of Congress. Click here to view the letter to Congress.

• The White Paper on Military Health Care Group was asked to rebut and comment on the DOD response to SASC. Click here to see the rebuttal and comments.

• To be continued.......

 

http://www.mhcrg.org/MRGRGwhitepaper.htm

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