05-05-2011, 03:56 PM
When I was growing up, my father and family were covered by Army medicine, which was not great, but was free. Think no-frills HMO. Then Ronald Reagan came along, declared the contract the US had always honored with its underpaid military an "entitlement program" and "welfare," and changed it to a voucher system except for the service member him- or herself, who can use military facilities. Now soldiers, sailors and airmen are still underpaid but have the privilege of paying through the nose for Tricare at private hospitals. Raw deal.