Kiosko.net Les quotidiennes

www.usatoday.com FINAL SCORES

By Eileen Blass, USA TODAY

NCAA champ: Duke’s Lance Thomas.

mIn new deal, men’s hoops field expands to 68 teams; CBS, Turner split TV share,
1, 3C

Madness grows by 3 teams

Fri/Sat/Sun, April 23–25, 2010

Newsline
n News n Money n Sports n Life


EEKEND

ED

ITION

Obama to Wall Street: ‘Join us’
mPresident urges financial sector to embrace overhaul proposals, 1B mLobbyists,
9A

mFrom Bradford (Rams) to Suh (Lions) to Tebow (Broncos), how squads fared, 3 pages
on NFL draft

Your team’s picks Military’s

THE NATION’S NEWSPAPER NO. 1 IN THE USA


mPacino stars as Kevorkian, 1, 7D

By Todd Plitt, USA TODAY

Vanessa Williams: In the all-star salute.

mComposing legend honored in Broadway tribute. eee ½ review, 3D

A musical bouquet to Sondheim

health care costs booming
Rare fee hike could hit retirees, families
By Gregg Zoroya USA TODAY

AP

By Gerald Herbert, AP

Brother safe: Christy Murray, right, in Kenner, La.

No sign of 11 from oil rig
mPlatform sinks as teams scour Gulf of Mexico for missing crewmembers, 3A Supremacist
is likely homicide victim
Suspect arrested after the body of Richard Barrett is found in his home outside Jackson,
Miss. 2A.

Many pursuit victims are innocent
Our review shows that a third of those who die in high-speed police chases are bystanders.
3A.

mMoney: Tax credit boosts home sales
Sales rise 6.8% in March, but perk due to expire next week was not as effective as
’09 program. 1B. uUS Airways ends merger talks with United. 3B.

mSports: Flyers move to second round
By Jason DeCrow, AP Philadelphia finishes off playoff series against the Prime spot:
Commissioner Roger Goodell and No. 1 selection Sam Bradford pause during Thursday’s
Devils with 3-0 victory in Game 5. NHL, 1, 10C. first round, which featured a flurry
of trades. Go to usatoday.com for the latest moves by your NFL team.

mLife: Volcano tourism erupts globally

Incidents such as the recent activity in Iceland often spur sightseers to pursue
nature’s wonders. 1D.

Read Green, Ride Green Giveaway
mGet a free 30-day trial subscription to USA TODAY’s e-Edition, an exact digital
replica of each day’s newspaper. You’ll be eligible to win a 2010 Ford Fusion
Hybrid. mTo enter, go to readandridegiveaway.com

‘Generation Y’ faces some steep financial hurdles
They’re weighed down by debt, lack of savings
By Christine Dugas USA TODAY They’re called “Generation Y” — teens and twentysomethings
known stereotypically for their coddled upbringing, confidence, opinionated dialogue,
free-spending habits and openness to change. Ultimately, however, the more than 50
million members may be best remembered for whether they can overcome the dire financial
straits that plague many of them. Even before the recession, those in Generation
Y — the latest products of a get-it-now, payfor-it-later mind-set that has permeated
the nation’s economy — faced a range of financial pitfalls as they embraced
expensive high-tech gadgets and added credit card debt onto student loans. Now, stagnant
wages, job insecurity, the decline in employer-sponsored health insurance and retirement
benefits, the rapid increase in basic expenses, soaring debt and minimal savings
have jeopardized the economic security of the entire generation, according to a recent
report by Demos, a public policy research and advocacy think tank. Their generation
is the first in a century that is unlikely to end up better off financially than

USA TODAY Snapshots®

Not hittin’ the road

Average miles per passenger car per year is declining:




Cover story

Photos by Alan Poizner for USA TODAY

1— Preliminary Source: Energy Information Administration Monthly Energy Review,
March 2010

A daily reminder: Frank and Erin Lennon keep track of debt on their “Bill Board.”
their parents, the Demos report said. “The recession has hit them hard,” says
Jose Garcia, associate director of policy and research at Demos, based in New York.
“It affects their income potential, their saving potential and their career-ladder
potential.” Kristen Ammerman, 21, a senior at Michigan State University, faces
such challenges and sees her Gen Y classmates struggling with financial Please see
COVER STORY next page u

QIJFAF-05005v(b)g

By Anne R. Carey and Suzy Parker, USA TODAY

©COPYRIGHT 2010 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co., Inc.

Crossword, Sudoku 5B Editorial/Forum 10-11A Marketplace Today 5B Market scoreboard
4B State-by-state 6A TV listings 7-8B

Subscriptions, customer service 1-800-USA-0001 www.usatodayservice.com

WASHINGTON — Military health care spending is rising twice as fast as the nation’s
overall health care costs, consuming a larger chunk of the defense budget as the
Pentagon struggles to pay for two wars, military budget figures show. The surging
costs are prompting the Pentagon and Congress to consider the first hike in out-ofpocket
fees for military retirees and some activeduty families in 15 years, said Rear Adm.
Christine Hunter, deputy director of TRICARE, the military health care program. Pentagon
spending on health care has increased from $19 billion in 2001 to a projected $50.7
billion in 2011, a 167% increase. The rapid rise has been driven by a surge in mental
health and physical problems for troops who have deployed to war multiple times and
by a flood of career military retirees fleeing less-generous civilian health programs,
Hunter said. Total U.S. spending on health care has climbed from nearly $1.5 trillion
in 2001 to an estimated $2.7 trillion next year, an 84% increase. As a share of overall
defense spending, health Rapid rise care costs have risen from 6% to 9% and will
keep Military medical costs are rising growing, said Navy Lt. twice as fast as those
Cmdr. Kathleen Kesler, a nationally. Increase Pentagon spokeswoman. from 2001 to
20111: That upward trend is 167% “beginning to eat us alive,” Defense Secretary
Robert Gates told Congress in February. 84% In addition to mental issues, multiple
combat tours have created more strains on joints, backs and legs, Pentagon statisMilitary
National tics show. Medical visits for such problems rose 1 – estimates Sources:
Defense from 2.8 million in 2005 Department, Health and to 3.7 million in 2009. Human
Services Department Behavioral-health By Julie Snider, USA TODAY counseling sessions
for troops and family members rose 65% since 2004. The Pentagon paid for 7.3 million
visits last year — treatment of 140,000 patients each week, TRICARE numbers show.
Other factors driving up costs: uMany new patients are children suffering anxiety
or depression because of a parent away at war. Children had 42% more counseling sessions
last year than in 2005, TRICARE numbers show. uThe number of TRICARE beneficiaries
has grown by 370,000 in the past two years to 9.6 million troops, family members
and military retirees. uNearly 200,000 prescriptions were filled each day at civilian
pharmacies last year. Active-duty troops and their families receive free health care
except for out-of-pocket co-payments of $3 or $9 per prescription at civilian pharmacies.
Retirees receive the same benefits by paying $230 a person or $460 a family each
year, along with small co-payments for various types of care. The fees have not gone
up since 1995. By contrast, private insurance plans try to limit expenses with frequent
increases in premiums and copayments “I want to be generous and fair to all those
who serve, but there’s a cost-containment problem,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.,
said at a recent hearing. “I don’t see how we can sustain this forever, where
TRICARE is never subject to adjustment in terms of the premiums to be paid.” Hunter
said higher out-of-pocket expenses are being explored by the Pentagon, too. “The
difference this year is that we see members of Congress saying we need to have a
thoughtful discussion,” Hunter said. “Where’s the balance here? We want to
be grateful for people’s service, absolutely. But the costs are up. What’s fair?”

FA