House Republicans turn back sneak attempt to force TRICARE into healthcare takeover

House Republicans have turned back a last-second power grab by Democrats to fold the nation’s TRICARE health insurance for military families into their proposed takeover of the nation’s healthcare, according to House Republican Conference Secretary John Carter.

House Republicans forced an immediate vote on the floor to remove TRICARE from controls by a new federal "health exchange" which will overturn all existing health insurance plans.

"This was an incredible sneak attack on our service members and their dependents’ healthcare, that the Democrats knew would never be acceptable," says Carter. "The original House bill protected TRICARE from the new mandates, but the revised bill introduced this week attempted to sneak this takeover back in. This is treachery."

Carter says while Republicans uncovered and turned back this attempt, it provides prime evidence of why the overall bill should be rejected. "The gross partisanship, closed doors, and secrecy used to produce this horrible legislation almost succeeded in sneaking in this attack on military healthcare. What else has not yet been discovered? We have got to kill this bill in the House, in the Senate, and if necessary, in the courts."

Once the attempt was unmasked, the entire House voted to exempt TRICARE from the Democrat bill.

###