[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 8 (Tuesday, January 28, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S755-S756]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. WARNER:
  S. 224. A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to permit 
covered beneficiaries under the military health care system who are 
also entitled to Medicare to enroll in the Federal Employees Health 
Benefits Program, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Armed 
Services.


             military retirees health benefits legislation

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation 
which will return a sense of fairness to the military health care 
system by providing Medicare-eligible military retirees the same health 
care plan that is currently available to every other retired Federal 
employee. Under this legislation, all Medicare-eligible military 
retirees and their family members will be given the option to 
participate in the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan [FEHBP].
  Under the current system military retirees lose their guaranteed 
access to military medical care at age 65 and are forced to rely 
exclusively on Medicare. It is worth noting that our military retirees 
are the only group of Federal employees whose health plan is taken away 
at age 65. I am sure that my colleagues would agree that this situation 
is not only inherently unfair, but that it also breaks a long standing 
health care commitment to our military retirees. When these men and 
women joined the Armed Forces, they were promised health care for both 
them and their families, for the rest of their lives. This was a 
commitment. This was in writing. Now, at age 65, they find out that 
this commitment is being withdrawn.
  Mr. President, the commonly held belief that the health care provided 
for military retirees is second to none is a myth. The truth is that 
when you compare it to what is provided by other large employers 
including General Motors, IBM, Exxon, and the rest of the Federal 
Government, the health care that is provided to our Medicare-eligible 
military retirees and their family members has become second to almost 
all others.

[[Page S756]]

  This bill that I am introducing today is the same legislation that I 
introduced in the 104th Congress. Although my legislation was not 
adopted, the fiscal year 1997 Senate-passed version of the National 
Defense Authorization Act Conference Report directed the Department of 
Defense to conduct a study of the cost and feasibility of extending the 
option of enrollment in FEHBP to our Medicare-eligible military 
retirees. This report is due to Congress on March 1, 1997. I am hopeful 
that this study will thoroughly examine this issue and provide 
meaningful recommendations that we can use to strengthen the military 
health care system during the Armed Services Committee's consideration 
of the bill I am introducing today.
  Mr. President, this legislation represents a major step forward in 
the application of equitable standards of health care for all Federal 
employees and honors our commitment to those veterans who served our 
Nation faithfully through many years of arduous military service. I 
invite my colleagues to join me as cosponsors of this bill.
                                 ______