The House approved Rep. Colleen Hanabusa’s amendment to the defense appropriations measure, prohibiting new fees on medical coverage for members of the military.

President Barack Obama’s administration has been pushing to phase in substantial fee increases for the military’s medical insurance, TRICARE, to counter what it describes as skyrocketing health care costs in the armed services.

Hanabusa countered those claims during a floor debate this morning, saying, “Year after year, we hear from the Defense Department that healthcare costs for our soldiers and veterans are spiraling out of control, and that TRICARE is ‘crippling’ DoD with its rise in costs. Yet, for the past two fiscal years, the Pentagon has found a way to reprogram hundreds of millions of dollars from defense health accounts to ‘higher priorities…’

“The relatively low cost of healthcare and strong benefits are the fundamental elements necessary to not just recruit, but also sustain an all-volunteer force,” she said. 

— Kery Murakami