When and Where
Our August Chapter meeting will be held on Thursday, August 27th, at Lathams Lighthouse in Hendersonville, TN. We will meet at 6:00 PM and have dinner at 6:30 PM. The cost of the meal will be $17.00 per person.
Menu
Hamburgers, bratwurst, grilled chicken, and hot dogs
Baked beans
Potato salad
Condiments including chili
Tea and Coffee
NOTE: If coming to the dinner on short notice, please call Fran McNutt at 672-7713-3005.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
MOAA and National Healthcare Reform
Dear Commander Moomy,
As Congress enters its month-long August recess, I want to clarify MOAA’s perspective on national health care reform and its possible implications for you and all members of the military and veterans' community and their families and survivors.
Many MOAA members have strong opinions on the politicians involved, strong preferences for one political party or the other, and strong views on both the principle and the specific details of national health care reform.
From MOAA’s standpoint, our tax-exempt, nonprofit status precludes us from taking partisan stands for or against any politician or political party. We take positions on issues. And in the interest of delivering our members the most bang for their membership buck, we devote our limited resources to addressing issues that directly affect our national defense and the military and veterans' community. For these reasons, our primary focus is on the aspects of the draft health care legislation that will affect you and the military community - military and VA health care, TRICARE, Medicare, and TRICARE For Life.
Our research and advocacy efforts on national health care reform are targeted at six primary goals:
Safeguarding military and VA beneficiaries’ health benefits;
Ensuring military and VA beneficiaries can choose other insurance;
Ensuring military and VA beneficiaries aren’t taxed on the value of those health benefits;
Preserving and improving military and VA beneficiaries’ access to providers of quality health care;
Ensuring long-term sustainment of Medicare (and TRICARE For Life) - and a fix for the broken Medicare payment formula that now poses annual threats of significant cuts that would erode providers’ willingness to see Medicare and TRICARE beneficiaries; and
Keeping our members apprised of how pending legislation could affect them and encouraging grassroots communications to their elected representatives to protect their interests.
We've sent a Military Coalition letter to every member of Congress, and thus far MOAA members have generated over 35,000 e-mails to their legislators using our alert. Every indication we've received from the Administration and congressional leaders of both political parties is that they share the goals listed above (read MOAA’s Aug. 7 legislative update for the latest specifics).
But there's a long way to go in the legislative process, and hard experience tells us severe budget pressures can undermine the best intentions. The bottom line: The entire MOAA staff and I are here to serve you. We will continue communicating with you, so we can let you know what we are working on and you can tell us what your concerns are. Please make sure you are signed up for our weekly Legislative Update and check our Health Care Happenings blog for the most up-to-date information.
I want to assure you MOAA will continue to be extraordinarily vigilant on this front. I encourage you to use MOAA’s national health reform alert to keep pressure on Congress to protect your interests. And please visit with your elected officials during this August recess.
Thank you for your continuing support and membership in MOAA.
All the best,
VADM Norb Ryan Jr., USN (Ret)President
As Congress enters its month-long August recess, I want to clarify MOAA’s perspective on national health care reform and its possible implications for you and all members of the military and veterans' community and their families and survivors.
Many MOAA members have strong opinions on the politicians involved, strong preferences for one political party or the other, and strong views on both the principle and the specific details of national health care reform.
From MOAA’s standpoint, our tax-exempt, nonprofit status precludes us from taking partisan stands for or against any politician or political party. We take positions on issues. And in the interest of delivering our members the most bang for their membership buck, we devote our limited resources to addressing issues that directly affect our national defense and the military and veterans' community. For these reasons, our primary focus is on the aspects of the draft health care legislation that will affect you and the military community - military and VA health care, TRICARE, Medicare, and TRICARE For Life.
Our research and advocacy efforts on national health care reform are targeted at six primary goals:
Safeguarding military and VA beneficiaries’ health benefits;
Ensuring military and VA beneficiaries can choose other insurance;
Ensuring military and VA beneficiaries aren’t taxed on the value of those health benefits;
Preserving and improving military and VA beneficiaries’ access to providers of quality health care;
Ensuring long-term sustainment of Medicare (and TRICARE For Life) - and a fix for the broken Medicare payment formula that now poses annual threats of significant cuts that would erode providers’ willingness to see Medicare and TRICARE beneficiaries; and
Keeping our members apprised of how pending legislation could affect them and encouraging grassroots communications to their elected representatives to protect their interests.
We've sent a Military Coalition letter to every member of Congress, and thus far MOAA members have generated over 35,000 e-mails to their legislators using our alert. Every indication we've received from the Administration and congressional leaders of both political parties is that they share the goals listed above (read MOAA’s Aug. 7 legislative update for the latest specifics).
But there's a long way to go in the legislative process, and hard experience tells us severe budget pressures can undermine the best intentions. The bottom line: The entire MOAA staff and I are here to serve you. We will continue communicating with you, so we can let you know what we are working on and you can tell us what your concerns are. Please make sure you are signed up for our weekly Legislative Update and check our Health Care Happenings blog for the most up-to-date information.
I want to assure you MOAA will continue to be extraordinarily vigilant on this front. I encourage you to use MOAA’s national health reform alert to keep pressure on Congress to protect your interests. And please visit with your elected officials during this August recess.
Thank you for your continuing support and membership in MOAA.
All the best,
VADM Norb Ryan Jr., USN (Ret)President
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Update from Congressman Bart Gordon
As Congress considers different approaches to reforming our country's health care insurance system, many Middle Tennessee military retirees and veterans have contacted me with questions and concerns. I want to address some of the concerns I have heard.
I believe it is vital we maintain the integrity and primary purpose of the TRICARE and VA health systems. The recently proposed House health care insurance reform bill does not include language that would change these systems or incorporate them into a national system. Likewise, there are no proposals to tax the health benefits provided through TRICARE or the VA. I want you to know I will continue to insist that our nation's military retirees and veterans continue to get the benefits they've rightfully earned.
We currently spend one out of every six dollars in the United States on health care. Health care costs are increasing at twice the rate of inflation. If we do nothing, these costs will continue to spiral out of control and fewer and fewer people will be able to afford health insurance. We need to address this problem but we need to take the time to get it right. I am committed to doing just that.
I believe it is vital we maintain the integrity and primary purpose of the TRICARE and VA health systems. The recently proposed House health care insurance reform bill does not include language that would change these systems or incorporate them into a national system. Likewise, there are no proposals to tax the health benefits provided through TRICARE or the VA. I want you to know I will continue to insist that our nation's military retirees and veterans continue to get the benefits they've rightfully earned.
We currently spend one out of every six dollars in the United States on health care. Health care costs are increasing at twice the rate of inflation. If we do nothing, these costs will continue to spiral out of control and fewer and fewer people will be able to afford health insurance. We need to address this problem but we need to take the time to get it right. I am committed to doing just that.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
July Chapter Meeting
Our July Chapter meeting will be held on Thursday, July 23rd, at Bluegrass Country Club in Hendersonville, TN. We will meet at 6:00 PM and have dinner at 6:30 PM. The cost of the meal will be $24.00 per person.
Menu
Garden Salad
Grilled Sirloin w/ Jack Daniels Bourbon Sauce
Green Beans Almandine
Twice Baked Potatoes
Crème Brule
Rolls
Tea and Coffee
Our speaker for July will be the Honorable Curtis M. Lincoln. Judge Lincoln has presided in the Hendersonville City Court for the past 15 years. He has been a lawyer for 42 years and has been very active in the community.
Menu
Garden Salad
Grilled Sirloin w/ Jack Daniels Bourbon Sauce
Green Beans Almandine
Twice Baked Potatoes
Crème Brule
Rolls
Tea and Coffee
Our speaker for July will be the Honorable Curtis M. Lincoln. Judge Lincoln has presided in the Hendersonville City Court for the past 15 years. He has been a lawyer for 42 years and has been very active in the community.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
June Meeting Information
Our June Chapter meeting will be held on Thursday, June 25th at the Gallatin Country Club in Gallatin, TN. We will meet at 6:00 PM and have dinner at 6:30 PM. The cost of the meal will be $17.00 per person. The Gallatin Country Club is located at 1501 East Main Street, Gallatin, TN. Dinner is provided by Larriveries on the Green.
Include with dinner is a Garden Salad, Vegetables appropriate for each main entrée, a Desert Selection, Dinner Rolls, Tea and Coffee.
Guest Speaker: We are pleased to have Mr. Anthony Holt, County Executive Sumner County, as our guest speaker at your June 25th meeting. Mr. Holt will provide remarks about current topics of interest to everyone in Sumner County. Sumner County Executive Anthony Holt was elected to his current office in November 2008 after serving 18 years as a county commissioner from the Gallatin area. He is chief financial officer for the county, oversees facilities management for county buildings and also is responsible for appointments to numerous government committees, boards and commissions. As county executive he represents Sumner County on a variety of Middle Tennessee boards, including the Greater Nashville Regional Council, Regional Transportation Authority, the Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Mid-Cumberland Human Resource Agency.
We look forward to seeing everyone on Thursday.
Our menu will include a choice of the following main courses:
Beef Medallions
Cordon Bleu
Lemon-Pepper Grouper
Guest Speaker: We are pleased to have Mr. Anthony Holt, County Executive Sumner County, as our guest speaker at your June 25th meeting. Mr. Holt will provide remarks about current topics of interest to everyone in Sumner County. Sumner County Executive Anthony Holt was elected to his current office in November 2008 after serving 18 years as a county commissioner from the Gallatin area. He is chief financial officer for the county, oversees facilities management for county buildings and also is responsible for appointments to numerous government committees, boards and commissions. As county executive he represents Sumner County on a variety of Middle Tennessee boards, including the Greater Nashville Regional Council, Regional Transportation Authority, the Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Mid-Cumberland Human Resource Agency.
We look forward to seeing everyone on Thursday.
Friday, June 5, 2009
TRICARE PRIME Info
This article was taken from the MOAA Legislative Update e-mail that I received.
You Could be Bounced from TRICARE Prime
A new DoD policy aimed at "cleaning up" TRICARE Prime enrollment at military treatment facilities (MTF) could mean some significant changes for many Prime enrollees.
TRICARE has long had established travel access standards to help beneficiaries receive timely health care. The standards require that enrollees shouldn't be assigned a primary care manager (PCM) at a military hospital or clinic that's more than a 30-minute drive from the beneficiary's home address.
As a practical matter, DoD never really enforced that policy. But it will be enforced now.
If they want to continue to be seen in the MTF, current Prime enrollees in the U.S. who live farther away than a 30-minute drive from the MTF will have to request a waiver of the drive-time standard from the MTF commander or the TRICARE Regional Office. Drive times will be determined by a computer program similar to MapQuest. Approved waivers will have to be renewed annually from now on.
Unless they apply for and are granted a waiver before October 1, enrollees who live more than 30 minutes (but less than 40 miles) from the MTF will be assigned a civilian primary care manager closer to their residence. Absent a waiver, those who live more than 40 miles from the MTF will be disenrolled from Prime and revert to TRICARE Standard as of October 1.
TRICARE contractors are mailing letters to all affected beneficiaries, providing detailed instructions on the waiver process.
You Could be Bounced from TRICARE Prime
A new DoD policy aimed at "cleaning up" TRICARE Prime enrollment at military treatment facilities (MTF) could mean some significant changes for many Prime enrollees.
TRICARE has long had established travel access standards to help beneficiaries receive timely health care. The standards require that enrollees shouldn't be assigned a primary care manager (PCM) at a military hospital or clinic that's more than a 30-minute drive from the beneficiary's home address.
As a practical matter, DoD never really enforced that policy. But it will be enforced now.
If they want to continue to be seen in the MTF, current Prime enrollees in the U.S. who live farther away than a 30-minute drive from the MTF will have to request a waiver of the drive-time standard from the MTF commander or the TRICARE Regional Office. Drive times will be determined by a computer program similar to MapQuest. Approved waivers will have to be renewed annually from now on.
Unless they apply for and are granted a waiver before October 1, enrollees who live more than 30 minutes (but less than 40 miles) from the MTF will be assigned a civilian primary care manager closer to their residence. Absent a waiver, those who live more than 40 miles from the MTF will be disenrolled from Prime and revert to TRICARE Standard as of October 1.
TRICARE contractors are mailing letters to all affected beneficiaries, providing detailed instructions on the waiver process.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
May Dinner Meeting
Our may meeting was held at Latham's Lighthouse Event Center in Hendersonville. We were pleased to have as our guest speaker, Mrs. Julie Hull, above, along with her husband Stacy from AB Recycle. Stacy and Julie Hull have owned AB Recycle in Hendersonville since October 2008 and began servicing clients in Hendersonville, Southwestern Gallatin and the Sumner County portion of Goodlettsville in November 2008. They provide convenient weekly curbside pickup of Single Stream recyclable materials. Julie provided important information on general facts about recycling, recycling locations and laws in Sumner County. Julie has given presentations to Beautiful Hendersonville, Inc., the Hendersonville Parks Department and a local school.
Below are photographs of Chapter members socializing before dinner.
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