March 2020 Personal Affairs
From the Feb 20 edition of the MOAA Newsletter, approximately 84,000 active duty family members and 110,000 military retiree beneficiaries will be impacted by military treatment facility (MTF) downsizing proposed in a DoD report to Congress released Feb. 19. In a phone call the morning of the release, senior DoD officials assured MOAA and other advocacy groups they are committed to maintaining access to care for all beneficiaries via a deliberate process and robust analysis of civilian TRICARE network capacity. However, MOAA remains concerned about the potential impacts on military families, retirees and their families, and survivors.
The Section 703 report is part of comprehensive military health system (MHS) reform legislation that was passed with the FY 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Congress, concerned that the MHS has prioritized the delivery of peacetime health care to the detriment of its combat casualty care capability, mandated several changes to the system aimed at maintaining uniformed medical providers’ critical wartime medical readiness skills. While MOAA supports the objective of enhanced medical readiness, we fear some beneficiaries may encounter access challenges when seeking civilian care – despite DoD’s best efforts to ensure adequate medical capacity in communities surrounding downsized MTFs. Retirees and their families transitioned to civilian care will also face higher out-of-pocket costs via copays ranging from $20 for primary care visits to $31 for specialty care visits and $62 for emergency room services.
As I looked over the list (available in the MOAA article), there are facilities in FL, NC, SC, TX, CO WA, HI, MD, and VA, as well as other states. These can have a potential impact on us as we travel. Beneficiaries who see their medical facility on the list of impacted MTFs are probably wondering what happens next. In some instances, these facilities have already reduced the scope of their services, and the report’s analysis simply supports previous decisions. For the others, there will be no immediate changes; MOAA will provide updated information on next steps as soon as we learn more.
And here’s a tip from the February 2020 Veterans Benefits Newsletter: if you receive correspondence from VA concerning a claim, and you don’t remember filing a claim, contact VA directly at 1-800-827-1000 to confirm details. It may help you from being scammed!
–Colonel Dick Calta