WASHINGTON — Some working military retirees will now lose thousands of dollars a year under a proposed cost-cutting move for a federal health-insurance program.

This year's House and Senate defense bills will now forbid civilian employers — including local and state governments — from paying enticements to military retirees who use the Defense Department's Tricare insurance instead of their companies' healthcare plans.

Dave Winnett, who retired in 1995 after 20 years in the Marine Corps, said the move can cost him as much as $3,000 a year in healthcare payments he now receives from his employer, the city of Torrance, Calif.