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Legislation & Politics | ||
Letter to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton re: expanding TRICARE coverage for Guardsmen and reservistsNOTE: A similar letter was sent to The Honorable Lindsey Graham. November 15, 2005 The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton Dear Senator Clinton: On behalf of the 1.4 million members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and the members of the National Guard and Reserve that we represent, I would like to indicate our support for your amendment to the FY06 defense authorization bill to expand TRICARE coverage for Guardsmen and Reservists. The men and women of the Guard and Reserve deserve to have access to this coverage whether they are defending the homeland or are engaged in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan. These enlisted servicemembers are often without employer-offered insurance and are in great need of health care coverage. Your amendment will allow Congress to demonstrate its commitment to our nation's citizen soldiers and their families who serve to protect America. Clearly, our present military conflict has blurred the line between Guard or Reserve duty and active duty and these members of the military service deserve TRICARE coverage. By authorizing permanent, fee-based TRICARE eligibility for all members of the Guard and Reserve, your amendment would provide the armed services ready access to these servicemembers' medical records which currently are spread between various civilian providers, their unit of attachment, their mobilization unit and the temporary duty station. This would speed up the assessment of health and mobilization readiness for Guard and Reserve troops. Additionally, this positive step will aid in recruiting and retention efforts. Thank you for your efforts to include Guard and Reserve service members in the TRICARE health system.
Charles M. Loveless |
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