On the recordMarch 20, 2010
I now yield 4 minutes to the distinguished ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, the gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon). Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I rise in support of H.R. 4887, which would try to fix a significant flaw in the Democratic health care reform bill by including the Department of Defense TRICARE program in what is considered minimum essential coverage for the purposes of the individual mandate in the health care bill. Mr. Speaker, while I applaud Chairman Skelton for taking this step, I'm deeply concerned and aware that it does not go far enough to protect TRICARE from the ravages of ObamaCare. The simple truth is that the Senate health care bill still leaves TRICARE, the world-class health care program that takes care of 9.2 million of our men and women in uniform and their families and retirees and their families open to the whim of bureaucrats outside of the Department of Defense who may change the program as they see fit. Is this what we want for the men and women who lay their lives on the line every day to protect this great Nation?…





