Council to focus on family mil.healthcare

Citing upcoming changes in the military health care system, the Defense Department’s Military Family Advisory Council voted to make 2020’s primary focus on how changes in military healthcare affect military families. “This is an area where there’s going to be a great amount of turbulence associated with the redoing of our healthcare system, so ultimately it’s really important that we understand how it’s impacting our families as we make these changes,” said James Stewart, chairman of the council. “These are wholesale, large changes to the way we provide care to our beneficiaries, not necessarily to the members, but certainly to our members’ families.” The military healthcare system has been undergoing reforms, which began in 2018. Families in many areas have had trouble finding healthcare providers who accept Tricare, and complain about increased costs. DoD is also in the process of changing the entire structure of the system, moving the management and administration of hospitals and clinics away from the services to the Defense Health Agency. DoD has also been looking at “right-sizing” the system, with an 18 percent cut in medical billets. This summer, DoD is expected to issue a report with details on which military medical facilities will be closed, downsized or ramped up. DoD may be rethinking the entire structure of its contracts for healthcare in the civilian community, which could include smaller Tricare regions, and possible contracted agreements with some high-performing civilian healthcare systems. (Source: Military Times 06/13/19) Gulf Coast Note: There are three military hospitals, and additional branch health clinics, along the Gulf Coast: Eglin AFB and Naval Hospital Pensacola, Fla.; and Keesler AFB, Miss. Some of those branch health clinics are located in Meridian, Columbus, and Gulfport, Miss.; New Orleans; Tyndall AFB and NSA Panama City, Fla.