[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 124 (Friday, September 21, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H5920-H5921]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HEALTH CARE FOR MILITARY RETIREES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. TAYLOR of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank you for the 
opportunity to speak to the people tonight about the terrible tragedy 
that occurred a week ago Tuesday, about the terrible loss of life for 
not only people who serve in the military at the Pentagon, the folks 
that worked at the World Trade Center, the people on those airplanes, 
but the firefighters who lost their lives trying to save the lives of 
others. I think it has caused us all to reflect and hopefully 
appreciate more those people who work every day to look out for us.
  It also brings to mind the importance of rewarding those people who 
serve us, treating them well, paying them well, giving them the best 
possible equipment because as the President spoke last night, they will 
be called upon in the very near future.
  One of the promises that has been made to those people for decades, 
certainly since World War II and in the Army recruiting those years all 
the way up to 1991, was a promise of free lifetime health care if they 
served their country honorably for 20 years or more in the military.
  Mr. Speaker, I regret to inform my fellow citizens that because of 
the failure of an agreement between the Department of Defense and 
Medicare those military retirees who were hoping to take that benefit 
to a military treatment facility will probably be turned away on 
October 1.

[[Page H5921]]

  I say I regret that because, as we probably know, more than half of 
our Nation's military retirees have chosen to retire near a military 
treatment facility. That is their family. We as a Nation asked them to 
leave their parents, leave their loved ones to go to places like Korea, 
Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Panama. We are getting ready to ask them to go 
to places like Afghanistan.
  In doing so, for many of them, they lose the ability to maintain 
their nuclear family, so their family becomes the Air Force, the 
Marines, the Army, the Navy.
  Since they were 18 years old, they were told they could go to a 
military treatment facility; but now because of the draw-down in the 
Department of Defense, there are not as many doctors as there used to 
be, and because the defense budget is tight, the Department of Defense 
made the decision that for those who have reached the age of 65, you 
cannot go to the base hospital anymore. You have got to find a private 
sector doctor. You have got to leave the family. I think that is a 
tragedy.
  Again, over half of our Nation's military retirees intentionally 
bought a home near a base so they could use that base hospital, and now 
the same Nation that can provide $16 billion in foreign aid, the same 
Nation that can waive the budget rules to bail out the airlines, give 
their corporate executives 20 and $30 million a year to run those 
companies into the ground, the same Nation that can spend money left 
and right, waiving the rules anytime they feel like it for those who 
really have not earned it to this extent are going to tell our Nation's 
military retirees that because you do not fit quite right into the 
budget we cannot find the money to solve your problem.
  Mr. Speaker, I am asking for an amendment that has already passed 
this House overwhelmingly about a year ago right now. There were 406 of 
my colleagues who voted to say to our Nation's military retirees that 
they could continue to use that base hospital and that Medicare is 
going to reimburse that base hospital for their care. After all, the 
sailors, the soldiers, the Marines, the airmen paid their Medicare 
taxes just like everybody else; and if it is their choice to go to a 
military treatment facility, then that is where they ought to be able 
to go.
  Unfortunately, the law now blocks them from doing so. We sent that 
bill over to the Senate; and unfortunately the Senate chose to take our 
language that says they have to do it and said to Medicare, they may do 
it, they can reach an agreement if they feel like it.
  Well, the bureaucrats at Medicare did not feel like it; and so now 
our soldiers, our sailors, our airmen, our Marines, our coast 
guardsmen, they are the ones that have to suffer.
  Mr. Speaker, I am asking for a real simple thing on the defense 
authorization bill next week. I am asking for an opportunity for this 
House to speak in favor for fulfilling the promise of lifetime health 
care to our Nation's military retirees and a Nation that is going to 
find $320 billion to defend itself that just last week spent an 
additional $40 billion on defense, one would think we could find a 
hundred million or so to do that for our Nation's military retirees.
  I am particularly disturbed, Mr. Speaker, that you have put the word 
out that if I so much as ask for that amendment that you are going to 
pull the defense authorization bill. Let me say that again. If an 
elected representative of the people of south Mississippi so much as 
asks for a recorded vote on an amendment to fulfill the promise of 
lifetime health care for our military retirees, the Speaker of the 
House says he will not allow that bill to take place at all.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent for 2 additional minutes.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair cannot entertain that request.
  Mr. TAYLOR of Mississippi. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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