WASHINGTON — The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee today unveiled a defense bill for the next budget year that includes a slight increase in health care fees for working-age military retirees.

Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon released the bill that the full committee will consider on Wednesday and could make changes.

The bill goes along with President Barack Obama’s request to raise fees by $2.50 per month for an individual and $5 per month for a family, the first hike in 11 years. But future increases would be calculated differently than what the administration wants.

The 2.1-million strong Veterans of Foreign Wars promises to fight any increase. It says any hikes aren’t fair to those who gave up 20 years of their youth to serve the nation.