Bill Gertz at The Washington Free Beacon reports:
The Obama administration’s proposed defense budget calls for military families and retirees to pay sharply more for their healthcare, while leaving unionized civilian defense workers’ benefits untouched.
It’s nice to have friends in high places. But there’s more:
The proposal is causing a major rift within the Pentagon, according to U.S. officials. Several congressional aides suggested the move is designed to increase the enrollment in Obamacare’s state-run insurance exchanges.
… Administration officials told Congress that one goal of the increased fees is to force military retirees to reduce their involvement in Tricare and eventually opt out of the program in favor of alternatives established by the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare.
Both Congress and the President have the power to control the Department of Defense. The government does not have the same direct control over private insurance companies, but you can bet your sweet bippy that behind closed doors at the White House and the Dept. of Human Services, people are working very hard right now to determine the kinds of regulatory burdens that will result in a massive migration of families away from private insurance companies and into government-managed health services.
