Hourglass 03-08-06 .Indd
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((KwajaleinKwajalein JJuniorunior aandnd SSeniorenior HHighigh SSchoolchool sstudents,tudents, includingincluding entertainerentertainer JustinJustin DDe-e- CCoster,oster, wwentent ttoo EEbeyebeye MMondayonday toto pperformerform fforor SeventhSeventh DayDay AdventistAdventist HighHigh SchoolSchool stu-stu- ddents,ents, fforor mmoreore sseeee PPageage 44.).) ((PhotoPhoto bbyy LLisaisa BBarbella)arbella) wwww.smdc.army.mil/KWAJ/Hourglass/hourglass.htmlww.smdc.army.mil/KWAJ/Hourglass/hourglass.html DoD may raise retirees’ TRICARE premiums to control long-term costs of healthcare By Bill Yamanaka all U.S. hospitals, and 55,000 retail Winkenwerder said. Army News Service pharmacies. Military medical facili- It is essential to restore an appro- ties have one of the best electronic priate cost-sharing relationship be- The Department of Defense is con- health record systems in the world. tween benefi ciaries and the Defense sidering raising TRICARE premiums Winkenwerder pointed out the is- Department as an employer and pro- for retirees under 65, as a way to sue at hand: “TRICARE’s costs have vider of TRICARE. DoD has a plan control the long-term costs of mili- more than doubled in 5 years from to address this very important issue tary healthcare and save the benefi ts $19 billion in FY 01 to $38 billion so that the military health benefi t for future servicemembers. in FY 06, and analysts project these program can be on a fi scally sound Without this increase, there is con- costs to reach $64 billion by 2015 foundation for the long term. cern that long-term costs may even- – more than 12 percent of DoD’s A reasonable approach, achieved tually diminish the benefi ts provided anticipated budget. It’s at 8 percent in a stepwise fashion, will be to re- and impact the nation’s defense today.” establish the proportional level of capability and national security. Costs have grown because of ex- individual cost sharing of 1995. This DoD provides truly outstand- pansion of benefi ts, increased use by plan will have no impact on active- ing health benefi ts for active-duty retiree benefi ciaries, health infl ation duty personnel or over-65 retiree and reserve-component members, and no change in TRICARE premi- benefi ciary premiums. retirees, and their families under ums in the last 10 years. Even with proposed changes in the TRICARE, and plans to continue this Large numbers of under-65 re- DoD plan, TRICARE would REMAIN service. tirees are dropping employer-spon- the nation’s best health benefi t and “TRICARE has improved steadily sored healthcare plans and rely- would continue to cost signifi cantly in recent years,” said Dr. William ing on TRICARE. As a result, DoD less than comparable federal, state Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secre- increasingly subsidizes healthcare and private health plans. tary of Defense for Health Affairs. costs for many private-sector compa- The Army supports DoD’s efforts of “Independent surveys show TRI- nies and some state governments. informing Congress of the steps that CARE ranks as one of the nation’s Total benefi ciary cost shares have are necessary to sustain this great best health plans,” he said. Unique declined substantially. Benefi ciaries health benefi t. It is vitally important benefi ts include a national network paid 27 percent of their service cost to our benefi ciaries and to our na- of more than 220,000 physicians, in 1995 but only 12 percent in 2005, tional security. LLetteretter ttoo tthehe editoreditor Employee questions lack of town hall meetings This is an open question to Kwajalein Range Ser- until sometime the middle or late March and to my vices. knowledge there is no policy or regulation that re- A few issues back The Kwajalein Hourglass pub- quires KRS to hold their town hall meetings in con- lished a response as to why KRS has held no town junction with USAKA’s. hall meetings for their employees in the last eight So the question to KRS is: When will KRS hold a months. The response was that there were visitors on town hall meeting for their employees? Or is there island (which has never been a problem before), mis- another excuse to keep avoiding it? sions and U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll. Well, all the visitors are gone; the next mission isn’t Tom Farris TThehe KwajaleinKwajalein HHourglassourglass The Kwajalein Hourglass is named fi cial views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Printed circulation: 2,000 for the insignia of the U.S. Army 7th Government, Department of Defense, Fax number: 52063 Infantry Division, which liberated the Department of the Army or USAKA. It is E-mail: [email protected] island from the forces of Imperial Ja- published Wednesdays and Saturdays in pan on Feb. 4, 1944. accordance with Army Regulation 360-1 Commanding Offi cer..........COL Beverly Stipe The Kwajalein Hourglass is an au- and using a network printer by Kwajalein Public Affairs Offi cer.....................Sandy Miller thorized publication for military per- Range Services editorial staff. Editor.....................................Nell Drumheller sonnel, federal employees, contractor P.O. Box 23, APO AP 96555 Graphics Designer.........................Dan Adler workers and their families assigned to Phone: Defense Switching Network Reporter................................Elizabeth Davie U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll. Contents of 254-3539 High School Volunteer.............Lisa Barbella the Hourglass are not necessarily of- Local phone: 53539 Circulation..............................Will O'Connell The Kwajalein Hourglass 2 Wednesday, March 8, 2006 U.S. aids Marshall Islands avian fl u preparedness U.S. Embassy, in Honolulu, Lt Col. Stanley Toy, not yet an avian fl u vaccine and Republic of the Marshall Islands USARPAC Operations and Aviation that it could be at least from six News Release Division, Dr. Eric Lindborg, chief to nine months away. He said of staff at Kwajalein U.S. Army that the World Health Organiza- Responding to a request from Kwajalein Atoll Hospital, and Maj. tion is the lead agency addressing the Republic of the Marshall Is- Jeffrey Klein, chief of USAKA Host the worldwide threat but that the lands minister of Foreign Affairs, Nations Activities. U.S. Center for Disease Control in the U.S. Departments of State RMI’s Secretary of Health Justi- Atlanta is very actively involved and Defense recently dispatched na Langidrik introduced members in monitoring developments. He several experts in health and di- of the RMI Avian Flu Task Force, referred everyone to the websites saster preparedness to exchange distributed copies of the RMI’s pre- of both organizations for current current avian fl u information with paredness plan to the U.S. visitors, updates and recommendations. RMI offi cials and local American and then invited their suggestions Toy urged a three-pronged ap- citizens. and comments. Brumage praised proach to the threat of pandemic: The Foreign Minister’s request the RMI for its diligent planning prepare, prevent and deter. In was made to the U.S. Pacific and noted that the MOH had pro- response to an inquiry from Ma- Command during the annual vided detailed information for the juro Hospital Administrator San- Joint Committee Meeting held in public in the local newspaper. He dy Alfred about possible United Honolulu on Feb. 3. commented that RMI’s preparation States assistance in the event of On Feb. 22 in the capitol city efforts are ahead of most countries an outbreak, Toy outlined three of Majuro, U.S. offi cials sat down in the world. areas of United States assistance: with the RMI secretary of Health Vardy recommended that Mar- Information sharing, requesting and members of the RMI Avian Flu shall Islands residents practice help through the U.S. Embassy Task Force. U.S. Ambassador to good hygiene, particularly hand to the Offi ce of Foreign Disaster RMI Greta Morris introduced washing and care in handling Assistance, and thirdly, techni- the U.S. visitors, including Judy poultry, to reduce susceptibility to cal expertise and advice from Vardy, a State Department For- infection. She stressed, however, USAKA and PACOM experts. He eign Service nurse practitioner that poultry can be safely eaten noted that his team had already from the U.S. Embassy Manila, if it is thoroughly and completely performed site surveys on Majuro U.S. Army Col. Michael Brumage, cooked to at least 70 degrees cen- and Ebeye to gather infrastructure MD, a licensed epidemiologist rep- tigrade. information in the event of a major resenting U.S. Pacifi c Command Brumage remarked that there is medical emergency. Discharge procedures change for Army Reserve, National Guard Soldiers ‘non-participants’ Army news service for training, offi cials said his fi le will be reviewed by a board to determine the type of discharge to be administered. Under a personnel initiative, Army Reserve and National The abbreviated notifi cation procedures for separation Guard Soldiers who do not attend required weekend train- will be phased in regionally over a 12-month period, begin- ing may soon face streamlined discharge procedures. ning with the East Coast. In the past, reserve-component Soldiers who did not at- “The Reserve component will take a full inventory of tend the required number of battle assemblies were some- Soldiers assigned to Reserve units,” said Lt. Gen. James times transferred out of their unit and into the Individual R. Helmly, chief of the Army Reserve. “This inventory will Ready Reserve. Now these ‘non-participants’ may be expe- identify those Soldiers that have failed to participate in re- ditiously discharged from the Army and could lose benefi ts, quired unit training and have, therefore, been identifi ed as according to G1 offi cials. They said the type of discharge unsatisfactory participants.” will be determined on a case-by-case basis. The expected result will be fewer non-participants on unit Under the new initiative, non-participating Soldiers will rosters, providing a more accurate picture of unit readiness, fi rst be encouraged to resume training with their unit, of- offi cials said.