you have tricare. tricare isçó a pretty good litte choice product out there.ho have it like it, most people don't even know what it is. and not many folks have asked to hear from the tricare administration what they can do. what can they bring to the table. and you have the federal employees health care plan which is basically private insurance products that's available for all the federal employees, including the congressmen and the president, the mail carriers the c.i.a. agents, everybody. >> rose: this is the reason people always say if congress would give the american public the same kind of health care system they had, they'd be better off." >> well, and indeed, when you look at this and you say, well, okay, we have six public plans that are available on the shelf and i hear people saying we ought to create a new one i say what are they out of their mind? it makes me cringe to think of really being able to put together another public plan. we already have some. pick one if we want to use that. so the idea of the public plan is fine. but the fundamental is

the loss of tricare helps to complicate the story. we think this might help things. they are negotiating to sell the northeast operations and if it's sold soon, it will be a region an mco with most of the business in southern california. it's a strong market.t. the last time they had to reinvent itself, it reemerge skptd stock jumped 400% over three years. >> there is your health net and you are passionate about this. >> we love intel. we talked about reporting after the bell. there will be a lost of things we are looking at. we are looking at key things. net books are driving pc sales and they have over 80% of the market through the processor that matt was talking b. three things will be bad for margins and not necessarily unless they cannibalize. that for the net books. at the end of the day that will help. dell talking about component costs. intel was able to hold with the supplier and intel was building inventory. others are tightening and we think this is evidence that intel is anticipating an up to beat back to school season. it takes 90 days to make a chip set

it expands tricare benefits for certain military retirees. it requires mental health assessments of service members prior to deployment. and it calls for an increase in the number of military and civilian behavioral health personnel. we also include a comprehensive review of the department of defense's activities for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of substance abuse disorders among service members. this is particularly important in light, mr. president, today, with a report that's been released, the epicon study that directly focuses on fort carson. this is a study that's initiated last year to examine the records of soldiers at fort carson who have been involved in violent crimes since returning from iraq and afghanistan. the army surgeon general, lieutenant general skew maker put together a team of experts to identify commonalities among the violent crimes. i had a chance to sit down with with the general yesterday and he said the scheme alone does not affect the crime. the combination of factors converge to increase the risk that

the tricare gray area retiree measure ensures nearly 225,226 eligible retirees nationwide. it ensures that they have the opportunity to purchase coverage under the military's tricare health care program. in support of our increasing number of wounded war yes, the bill authorizes special compensation for caregivers for the time and assistance they provide to service members with combat-related catastrophic injuries or illnesses requiring assistance in everyday living. additional support is provided through this bill which authorizes travel and transportation allowances for nonmedical attendance of very seriously wounded, ill, service members and we continue to increase the care of of our wounded warriors. this bill requires the establishment of a task force to assess the effectiveness of the policies and programs to assist and support the care, management, and transition of recovering, wounded, ill, and injured service members. to help restore the dire shortage of physicians needed to care for the mental health of combat-proven service members, the bill authorizes the servic

historically a -- tricare site. historically a black hospital. we have all of those individuals that will be out and about, whether it's veterans, whether it's through the tricare system or whether they'll be going to a civilian system. that's why health care reform is so important and i yield back to the lady by saying i'm proud to stand by a system that responds to the needs of all americans. ms. fudge: he will met say this as well, as we talk about health care. i do live in a community where we have some of the best health care in the world. but what i also know is it costs three times as much to go to a hospital emergency room as it does to go to your doctor's office. what i envision with this preventive care is that people who now only see a doctor when they are so sick that they have to go to an emergency room will now go to see a physician on a regular basis. they will go and have annual physical exams, they will go and have their mammograms, they will go and have their cancer treatments. they had will go and do that because it will be les

we fulfill them through specific mechanisms, such as the v.a., tricare, and others. these are essential to making sure we meet our obligations to those serving in uniform and that we do so in a personal and effective way. they provide specific needed coverage that recognizes the extraordinary sacrifices that are inherent to those who serve in our military. similarly, there are unique and specialized v.a. program this is a recognize the special government responsibilities to those who incur injuries and illness as a result of their service. moreover, specific services and programs for families of those who helped serve the grateful nation to give back to those who have sacrificed so much for all of us. it's too bad we are unable to move forward on my amendment because we would have recognized and protected the responsibility tosser vis members and veterans in any health care package moving through congress. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from maine. ms. pingree: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: i would like to advis

we prevented from tricare, a federal employee health insurance plans. therefore the plans for every active military personnel in every federal employee are not allowed to cover abortions, so why would this be any different? >> any further debate? if not, the clerk will call the roll please. [roll call] earl [roll call] >> the voted 11 ayes comment 12 nays. >> i'm going to offer an amendment that senator kennedy has proposed, number two of five and while the step for handing it out, let me just read it. it is a very short amendment. no limitation on contract team based on abortion. no individual healthcare provider or healthcare entity baby excluded from contrasting with the health insurance, the issue a participating in kate we on the basis that the provider or entity performs abortions or the provider into the refuses to perform abortions except in an emergency. performing abortions is contrary to the moral beliefs of the provider or entity. it is very straightforward. it seems to me this ought to resolve any questions people have about this question t

tricare is a single payer government funded one source health care plan. same goes, medicare is another one. and the veterans administration, there are certainly problems with veterans getting into the system. once they're in, they're very happy. in fact don't talk to a veteran about taking away their v.a. care because most of them, once they get that card, it's so portable and goes anywhere in the country and their records pop up instantly on the computer. so there are several examples already of -- my parents are quite happy with their medicare coverage. they buy supplemental sometimes if they need it and that option would also be available under the bill we're talking about. but i mainly just wanted to thank you and add my voice to the chorus of those saying it's time for this change to happen, for us to join the rest of the g-20, the rest of the industrialized developed world in having some kind of a universally available and accessible health care for all our citizens. mr. ellison: and we'll be back to the gentleman in a moment. but now let's hear fro

which one of you is going to take away the military tricare program?health care. sure is, that's what our country is surviving and living on. let's make this work and stop attacking each other. >> wow, here's how some of you responded to our blog question. cynthia says, i don't know what more i can give up before i will become homeless. steve writes, if i were to give up cigarettes, i could save $1,500 per year. if the nation could give up cigarettes, we could reform health care. and this response from charles, i am willing to give up the palace-like hospitals with their expensive artwork and fancy designs. just go to our blog, boy, and weigh in. >>> one of the key issues in the health care debate, how to care for people with pre-existing conditions. we are going to hear from a patient and a representative from the insurance industry. that's next. >>> finding health insurance can be tough enough. if you're already sick it can seem almost impossible. senior medical correspondent, elizabeth cohen, is here. along with a guest to talk about the problem of

chairman at the national guard and reserves and the tricare issues, these are very in the weeds issuesthat i know are outside the jurisdiction of this committee and i want to work with the mr. chairman to do that. its not possible mr. polo and for us to say let's see how we can make a more narrow, every time i tried to do that chairman waxman iran into a germane problem. i am just trying to help you're. >> if there is unanimous consent request made to accept all three, i will object. if there is unanimous consent request made to except the first tube, and not one of 42b, i will go on. i will suggest that 142b is appears to have that some merit, but some problems and i would like to have, i still want to agree to something like this until i'm sure that it is doesn't do violence to the purpose of the legislation to let them see if i get a clarification, mr. boyer on your when 42 be. it says the commission is prohibited from using any funds of this act to determine the health care coverage under chapter seven of title 38 u.s. code is not acceptable coverage for any purpose and a title thr

medicaid and medicare, schip and tricare. and some of the people who get those benefits, like our seniors, say medicare works just fine. unfortunately, doctors don't want to see them coming because medicare and medicaid don't cover the cost of even seeing the patient. and so many physicians are closing their practices to our seniors because they have government health insurance. government health care does not pay enough for the physician and the hospital to see the patient, so they shift the cost over to the private market. and the worth part of all of these government plans is they're trillions of dollars in debt, debt our children are going to have to pay back. these programs are broke. yet, they want to expand these programs. they want to take the part of health care that's not working and essentially force it on every american. they want every american to have a medicaid plan where doctors don't want to see us coming because w*er not paying enough of their costs. folks, as i look at this whole health care reform debate -

today includes over a 15% increase for fiscal year 2010 spending over last year, which assists with tricareance, childcare and other necessary personnel-related accounts. yet, it is important to note that a couple weeks ago congress passed the defense authorization bill, increasing defense-related funding by only 4%. this nation is at war, and my democrat colleagues only modestly increased our defense and strategic compass its. while all other -- capacities. while all other bills are increasing 10%, 15%, 19% and even 33% more than last year's levels. mr. speaker, this disparity sends a dangerous message to our enemies and one to our troops that are in the field. to help curb some out-of-control democratic spending, ranking member jerry lewis offered an amendment in the full committee that would prioritize funding increases for defense, military construction and our veterans by providing a 6% increase for these programs, a 4% increase for homeland security, and holding all other subcommittees to a very reasonable 2% increase. unfortunately, the amendment was defeated. out of the 12 appropria

the part that's not working is the government part, medicare, medicaid, tricare.people who get those benefits think it's working but it's creating trillions of dollars of debt and it's shifting the cost over to the private sector.. you know, my plan for health care is just to be fair to people who don't get their insurance at work. and we can give every family in america $5,000 a year to buy health insurance and we can pay for it by just taking back the t.a.r.p. money as it comes in and spending it on health care rather than spending it on some new government program. >> and what about some reforms like allowing consumers to shop across state lines and buying health insurance? what are some of the other things that should be done to get real free markets in health care? >> steve, that's an excellent idea you and i have advocated for a while. people can only buy health insurance from companies that are basically licensed in their state and that creates single-state oligopolies of insurance companies where it's not very competitive. if i could buy health insurance a

although they deny this, the government does in medicaid, medicare and tricare.orcing us into a public health plan is not what the american people want. what they need and want is medical decisions made by patients and physicians, not unelected government bureaucrats. congressional democrats are campaigning for a nationalized health care proposal that includes $800 billion in new tax increases. it's estimated this plan will result in 4.7 million workers losing their jobs as a result of tax hikes on businesses. businesses will face further operating costs. jobs will be cut and americans will be left with fewer choices and lower quality health care. having seen the failed results of the administration's so-called economic stimulus plan, the last thing americans need is to have democrat leaders nationalizing our health care system. reforms are needed and republicans have offered to work with the democrats in creating a bipartisan solution, but so far our efforts have been ignored by speaker pelosi and president obama. we have offered a plan to promote new jobs to en

such a great job of defending our country in iraq and afghanistan is going to take away the military tricare program. yeah, government's involved in health care. sure is. that's what our country is surviving and living on. let's make this work and stop attacking each other. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. the gentleman from florida, for what purpose does do you rise? >> permission to address the house for one minute revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. . >> there has been talk about a second stimulus package. why would we need a second stimulus? the first one deposit work. it's not rocket science and the american people know it. what they don't want to hear is that prior congresses or prior administrations used to do this or prior congressmen were engaged in this, that or the other. what americans want now is leadership and solutions moving forward, not how things used to be. i'm new here. i came here because the american people were sick and tired about the way things used to work. unemployment will soon reach double digits

administrative costs for programs include medicare, medicaid and tri-car ar tricared private costs are 23n% in the small group market and 12.5% in the large group mark. mr. president, these numbers speak for themselves and the insurance industry has become distracted by the desire to maximize profit at the expense of those who need care. we cannot stand by and watch as american people are taken advantage of especially in a time of need when someone's health is on the line. that is why i'm proud to support the public plan that will compete with private insurers. this option would provide a low-cost alternative to the private market, bringing back competition and choice. it would press insurers to end their abusive practices and high profit margins and would help eliminate the red tape at the same time. no one should be forced to change insurance plans. no one would face higher premiums. no one would need to fear their coverage would be denied by a corporate giant on a few extra dollars' worth of profit. robust public option would help make insurance available to those who don't have it,

currently autism treatment is subject to a monthly cap under the health care system of tricare and it has a burdensome application process. my amendment is designed to change. this to make sure that this cap no longer applies so that these military families have access to the care that their children need. and just one example -- one family whose son, taylor, has autism, he's 7 years old, are dependent on the tricare treatment, his i.q. is 3. the cut for the state program is 70. they budget $500 extra out-of-pocket per month to pay for taylor's therapy, it is far less than taylor needs to achieve his potential. so what we're hoping to do is ultimately make sure that children who has autism whose mother or fathers serve in the military will have access to the number of hours of treatment that doctors recommend. we hope that through efforts down the line we can begin to provide these resources for the men and women who put their lives on the line every day for our country. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. mr. levin: mr. president, let me commend the senator from new yor