Honoring Our Allies
TROA's 2002 Marix Awards recognize those who have provided extraordinary leadership to ensure the funding and implementation of TRICARE For Life.
By Col. Marv Harris, USAF-Ret.

The chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, a former leader of the Department of Defense's (DoD's) health care organization, and a key Senate Budget Committee staff member were honored by TROA for their dedicated work to ensure that tricare For Life (TFL) was fully funded and started on schedule.

Sen. Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.); Rear Adm. J. Jarrett Clinton Jr., USPHS; and Senate Budget Committee professional staff member Winslow T. Wheeler received TROA's highest awards at a Capitol Hill awards ceremony April 10.

Domenici received the Col. Arthur T. Marix Congressional Leadership Award for his extraordinary leadership in securing full funding for the Defense Health Program, including the new TFL program.

Gen. Joseph P. Hoar, USMC-Ret., chairman of TROA's board of directors, said, "Without Senator Domenici's watchful guardianship, the government's ability to implement new TFL, pharmacy, and other health care benefit improvements would have been in considerable jeopardy. His efforts have had a direct, positive impact on every uniformed servicemember, retiree, family member, and survivor."

Hoar said Domenici introduced new legislation to make up military health care shortfalls for fy 2001 and fy 2002 and helped ensure full funding in the fy 2002 Budget Resolution. Domenici also won changes in defense budgeting procedures to prevent old problems from happening again.

The award is named for Col. Arthur T. Marix, USMC, who founded TROA in 1929. It is awarded by TROA's board of directors to select members of Congress, regardless of political party, who have distinguished themselves by protecting the earned rights and interests of members of the uniformed services and their families and survivors.

Clinton received the TROA Distinguished Service Award for his leadership in implementing TFL and the tricare Senior Pharmacy (TSRX) program. He was the acting assistant secretary of defense (Health Affairs) when Congress passed TFL in October 2001. His office was responsible for implementing both the TSRX and TFL programs in less than a year.

Hoar said, "Dr. Clinton proved the perfect man for that tough job. ... He built a plan to bring the pharmacy benefit up by April 1 and tricare For Life by Oct. 1. Most importantly, he reached out to make beneficiary associations part of the process. ... Further, he established a TFL call center that beneficiaries could call toll-free to get real answers to their health care and pharmacy questions." Clinton currently serves as the regional health administrator, Region IV, for the Department of Health and Human Services in Atlanta.

Wheeler, a professional staff member for the Senate Budget Committee, was awarded the Col. Paul W. Arcari Meritorious Service Award for his outstanding efforts in support of Domenici's initiatives to secure full funding for the Defense Health Program. Hoar recognized Wheeler's work with DoD and beneficiary organizations as being "instrumental in identifying the specifics of past health care budgeting problems, documenting current budget shortfalls, and crafting legislative and policy actions aimed at preventing a recurrence."

TROA has awarded the Marix and Distinguished Service awards since 1997. The congressional staff member award began two years ago and was renamed last year for Arcari, a former director of TROA's Government Relations department. About 250 people attended this year's ceremony, including members of Congress, leaders from DoD and other administration officials, representatives from military and veterans' organizations, members of TROA's national board of directors, and TROA council and chapter presidents.