Howdy y’all and buckle up for this weeks News 6 update!

Relief for Type One Diabetics Through TRICARE

Good news for military family members with Type 1 Diabetes! The costly  Omnipod 5 insulin pump is now officially covered by TRACER

Gone are the days of finger pricks and constant monitoring for these military family members. This device adjusts and administers insulin when needed through pods that are worn on the body like a patch. 

It is covered by the Tricare pharmacy benefit as of mid February. Beneficiaries must have pre authorization from their PCM and it is only covered through Tricare approved civilian pharmacies, not in home care delivery services or military hospitals. 

If the device is purchased at a non network pharmacy, the beneficiary will have to pay full price but can be refunded through Tricare if a claim is filed. 

“It’s great news,” said Eileen Huck, senior deputy director of government relations for the National Military Family Association. “It’s frustrating it took so long.”

It has already been out on the market for over a year but not covered by Tricare until a month ago. 

It had cost desperate families quite a pretty penny, with the starter kit costing 635 and then costing 280 dollars for five refill pods which need to be changed out every couple of days. 

With this new coverage beneficiaries will pay 38 dollars per 15 pods. Or roughly 38 dollars a month.

What a relief for type one diabetic dependents and their families! Here’s wishing many more hours of counting your blessings instead of counting your numbers!

*Find out more at militarytimes.com.

Tax Incentives for Hiring Military Spouses? 

Bipartisan legislation was presented in the Senate and House this week that would give companies tax incentives when they hire military spouses. 

If this bill is passed it would give the company a tax credit that would be equal to 40 percent of their employees first year wages. 

This program is called the Work Opportunity Tax Credit and companies have already enjoyed tax credits through this program when they hire veterans.

Military Family Advocates have been fighting for spouses to be included in this program for years.

“Incentivizing businesses to hire military spouses is an important component of addressing the continued high rates of unemployment within this community that sacrifices so much,” said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, president and CEO of the Military Officers Association of America.

21 percent of military spouses are unemployed which is roughly 2 to 4 times higher than regional averages. It has steadily held on to this percentage for the past eight years. 

So far this bill has 21 senators rallying for its approval with Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, and Sen. John Boozman, R-Arkansas, joined by Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire and Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota spearheading the bill. 

“Our service members and their families make countless sacrifices,” said Kaine, in the announcement. “In turn, we have a responsibility to take care of them — and that must include helping America’s talented military spouses access a wide range of work opportunities.”

“The military spouse unemployment rate has remained too high for too long,” said Besa Pinchotti, executive director and CEO of the National Military Family Association, in support of the bills. “When military spouses can’t find work, it’s a problem for their family’s financial stability and wellbeing.”

An incentive for companies and a boost for career minded military spouses will only help this country and we look forward to this bill becoming law!

*Find out more at military times.com.

DOD Gives Flag Etiquette Crash Course for Military Members

The DOD recently sent out a memo concerning flag etiquette during the end of a busy sports season.

They pointed out that military  members could not assist in any flag ceremony where the flag could be desecrated, including the flag trailing off parachutes or gliders and the unfurling of stadium size flags.

“While many, including military members, view these displays as inspiring and patriotic … uniformed service members may not participate directly in the unfurling, holding, and/or carrying of giant, horizontal U.S. flags that are displayed during community outreach events,” the Department of Defense memo read.

They reminded service members that the flag should never be carried horizontally but always aloft and free, and should never touch anything beneath it including the ground, water, or merchandise.

While it’s hard to find a member of the military family that doesn’t get teary at a flag during a pre game national anthem, it’s important that the flag is given the respect it deserves, in honor of our past, our future, and the ones who died defending it.

After all, the star spangled banner flies over the land of the free, not on its ground! 

*Find out more at Washingtontimes.com.

This Day in History:

On March 13, 1964, the first televised courtroom verdict in the United States took place.

Jack Ruby was found guilty of murdering Lee Harvey Oswald, who had assassinated John F. Kennedy.

Ruby was sentenced to death but it was later repealed. Before he could be retried he died of a pulmonary embolism in prison in 1967.

The jury concluded that he had killed Oswald out of grief over the president’s death and to redeem the city of Dallas. It was believed that he did it spur of the moment and it was not a calculated murder. 

Theories however have always circulated that he was actually involved of a much larger crime ring that may have had to do something with Kennedys death.

Either way, this was the first murder conviction ever televised, and further led to the country’s fascination with trials and courtroom cases, bringing them into the viewers living room.

Not the happiest piece of history we’ve chatted about, but certainly an interesting one for fans of true crime drama!

That’s it for me! This is Emma Tighe with News 6, where information empowers.