washingtonscene
Spend Now,
He observed with some irony that DoD
proposals to increase health fees for benefi -
Save Later
ciaries could work against this goal. House
and Senate leaders are concerned that,
Panel urges strong focus
while fee increases and higher pharmacy
on preventive care.
copayments might produce short-term sav-
ings, they actually could increase long-term
health costs by deterring patients’ use of
O
n March 19, DoD hosted a medications and needed care.
panel to discuss ways to reduce Class urged inclusion of all categories
the long-term cost of providing of benefi ciaries — active duty, Guard and
military medical benefi ts by removing Reserve, and retirees, as well as survivors
fi nancial and other barriers for preven- and family members — in any preventive
tive care of chronic conditions and by care pilot programs. He also recommend-
promoting healthy lifestyles. ed full implementation (rather than pilot
MOAA deputy director for Gov- projects) wherever possible for initia-
ernment Relations Cmdr. John Class, tives that already are well-documented as
USN-Ret., sat on the panel along with highly effective.
congressional, defense, and health
industry experts.
All panelists agreed eliminating unnec- Stand Up For
essary obstacles for preventive care, such
as copayments, could reduce long-term People Needs
health care expenditures.
“Unfunded requirements”
For example, studies have shown even
modest copayments can deter benefi -
not just hardware.
ciaries from seeking preventive care.
But TRICARE Standard still requires
copayments for most care of this kind,
including cancer screenings and immu- M
OAA is more than gratified
that Air Force leaders now are
letting the administration and
nizations. Failure to take advantage of Congress know the Air Force needs more
preventive care, the panel agreed, raises manpower than is called for in the FY
longer-term costs when preventable dis- 2009 budget.
eases turn into serious illnesses. The question is, “What took so long?”
Panelists also discussed “pay for per- Every year, Congress solicits a list of
formance” options that would require unfunded requirements from the ser-
providers to report data on the outcomes vices that the administration couldn’t or
of their care. Those who use appropriate wouldn’t let them squeeze into the offi cial
preventive techniques — and thus improve defense budget submission.
patients’ outcomes — would receive bo- Normally, these lists are packed with
nuses or higher reimbursements. weapons and equipment needs. Only rarely
A House staff representative on the do the lists include many “people issues.”
panel said short-term costs pose one unfor- In past years, service leaders have been
tunate potential barrier to progress. He said quick to support personnel cuts; health
Congress is very interested in pursuing care fee increases; cutbacks in morale, rec-
incentives to encourage preventive care but reation, and welfare support facilities; and
needs more information from DoD about more to free up money for operations or
potential costs of such measures. equipment needs.
3 8 M I L I T A R Y O F F I C E R M AY 2 0 0 8
MMay_scene.indd
38ay_scene.indd 38 44/7/08 5:53:21 PM/7/08 5:53:21 PM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92