“The Defense Health Agency’s current plan is to “right size” the Military Health System by moving about 200,000 TRICARE beneficiaries to private medical networks and close less than 7% of the Defense Department’s military treatment facilities.”
“The strategy comes after DHA was forced to rethink its path forward after the COVID-19 pandemic showed stress in some private health care networks and forced some clinics to close. Despite those variables, DHA for the first time is confirming that the readjusted plan is currently still similar to the pre-pandemic expectations.”
“’We’ve finished that report and submitted the draft report up to Congress through the Secretary of Defense,’ Dr. Brian Lein, DHA’s assistant director of healthcare administration told Federal News Network. ‘Congress asked several follow-on questions that we are in the process of answering, and so no decision has been made from that report, either within the Secretary of Defense’s office, or within Congress giving us the authority to move in any way. We’re constantly relooking and ensuring that any of the assumptions or facts at that time haven’t changed.'”
“Congress asked DoD to realign its Military Health System five years ago. The plan, at the most, considered moving as many as 1.9 million people from the Military Health System. It is also related to a DoD plan to cut thousands of medical billets.”
“DHA is taking into account a new DHA-funded study that stated patients who move away from military hospitals will get worse inpatient care…” Read the full article here.
Source: DHA’s updated plan to resize Military Health System is similar to pre-pandemic strategy – By Scott Maucione, November 5, 2021. Federal News Network.
