And the Conclusion Is: According to Pentagon health affairs chief William Winkenwerder Jr., the work DOD has done with lawmakers on the Tricare fee issue has led to some conclusions: 1) Everyone agrees there is a “serious problem” with health care costs within DOD; and 2) everyone agrees that changes must be made to the pharmacy co-payment system. So far, that is the extent of the “everyone agrees.” The central issue—the Pentagon plan to raise Tricare fees for military retirees over age 65—still is under discussion.
It'll take up to 18 months for Lockheed Martin to deliver the 100 or so F-35s that went directly from production line to storage, awaiting the completion of Tech Refresh 3 testing. Customers haven't complained about the order in which the backlog is being delivered.