BILL NUMBER: SJR 10	ENROLLED
	BILL TEXT

	ADOPTED IN SENATE  JUNE 26, 2009
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY  SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

INTRODUCED BY   Committee on Veterans Affairs (Senators Denham
(Chair), Cedillo, Correa, Maldonado, Negrete McLeod, Wiggins, and
Wyland)

                        MAY 28, 2009

   Relative to military health care.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SJR 10, Committee on Veterans Affairs. Military: health care.
   This measure would request that the President and the Congress of
the United States pass H.R. 816 that would prohibit certain increases
in fees for military health care.




   WHEREAS, Career uniformed service members and their families
endure unique and extraordinary demands and sacrifices during the
course of a decades-long career protecting freedoms for all
Americans; and
   WHEREAS, The extent of these demands and sacrifices is never so
evident as during times of war, not only in today's global war on
terrorism, but also during the last six decades of hot and cold wars
when today's retired service members were on continuous call to enter
into harm's way when and as needed; and
   WHEREAS, The demands and sacrifices are such that few Americans
are willing to accept them for a multidecade career; and
   WHEREAS, The primary offset for enduring the extraordinary
sacrifices inherent in a military career is a system of extraordinary
retirement benefits, including health care coverage considerably
better than that afforded civilian workers, that a grateful nation
provides for those who choose to subordinate much of their personal
life to the national interest for so many years; and
   WHEREAS, Many private sector firms are curtailing health benefits
and shifting significantly higher costs to their employees; and
   WHEREAS, One effect of this curtailment is that retired service
members who work for those employers increasingly depend on the
TRICARE coverage they earned through their military service; and
   WHEREAS, While the Department of Defense has made some efforts to
constrain TRICARE programs costs, a large part of the department's
effort has been aimed at shifting a larger share of cost burdens to
retired service members; and
   WHEREAS, The beneficiary cost increases proposed by the Department
of Defense fail to recognize adequately that career service members
paid enormous in-kind premiums through their extended service and
sacrifice; and
   WHEREAS, A significant share of the nation's health care providers
refuse to accept new TRICARE patients because TRICARE pays them
significantly less than commercial insurance programs and imposes
unique administrative requirements; and
   WHEREAS, The significant majority of the savings that the
Department of Defense associates with the proposed fee increases is
expected to result from deterring a large portion of TRICARE
beneficiaries from using their earned military health benefits; and
   WHEREAS, The Department of Defense has chosen to count the accrual
deposit to the Department of Defense Medicare-Eligible Retiree
Health Care Fund against the budget of the Department of Defense,
contrary to the amendments made by Section 725 of Public Law 108-375;
and
   WHEREAS, Leaders of the Department of Defense have reported to
Congress that counting these deposits against the budget of the
Department of Defense is impinging on other readiness needs,
including weapons programs, an inappropriate situation that Section
725 of Public Law 108-375 was expressly intended to prevent; and
   WHEREAS, The Department of the Defense and the nation have a
committed health benefits obligation to retired uniformed service
members that exceeds the obligation of corporate employers to
civilian employees; and
   WHEREAS, The Department of Defense has many additional options to
constrain the growth of health care spending in ways that do not
disadvantage beneficiaries and should pursue any and all such options
rather than seeking large fee increases for beneficiaries; now,
therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of
California, jointly, That the Legislature of the State of California
respectfully requests the President and the Congress of the United
States to pass H.R. 816 that would prohibit certain increases in fees
for military health care; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States,
the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of
the Senate, and each Senator and Representative from California in
the Congress of the United States.