Military retirees upset over possible drug-fee increase

The Bush administration is considering increasing the fees military retirees pay for prescription drugs, a step that would roll back a benefit extended just 30 months ago and risks alienating an important Republican constituency at the dawn of the 2004 campaign season.

Pentagon budget documents indicate that retirees may be asked to pay $10 -- up from the current $3 -- for each 90-day generic prescription filled by mail through Tricare, the military's health insurance program. Tricare's current $9 co-payment for a three-month supply of each brand-name drug would jump to $20.