Life - Health
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Bush
Introduces
Commission to
Review Military
Health Care
By
John J. Kruzel
American Forces
Press Service
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WASHINGTON,
March 2007
– Americans
have a moral
obligation to
provide the best
possible care
and treatment to
the men and
women who serve
their country,
President Bush
told members of
the American
Legion here
today.
In
order to ensure
that troops get
the best care,
Bush introduced
a new bipartisan
presidential
commission that
will review
servicemembers’
health care.
“This review
will examine
their treatment
from the time
they leave the
battlefield
through their
return to
civilian life as
veterans, so we
can ensure that
we’re meeting
the physical and
mental health
needs
involved,”
Bush said.
The commission,
headed by former
Sen. Bob Dole
and former
Health and Human
Services
Secretary Donna
E. Shalala,
currently
president of the
University of
Miami, will
conduct a
comprehensive
review of
military medical
care. Meanwhile,
a separate task
force will
assess
short-term
needs, Bush
announced.
“As this
commission
begins its work
and considers
its
recommendations,
I’ve also
directed the
secretary of
veterans affairs
to lead a task
force composed
of seven members
of my cabinet to
focus and
respond to
immediate
needs,” he
said.
The
president’s
announcement
comes a day
after the House
Committee on
Oversight and
Government
Reform heard
wounded
soldiers’
testimonies
detailing
mismanagement at
Walter Reed Army
Medical Center.
“Many people
working at
Walter Reed are
… dedicated,
honorable
healers who care
deeply about our
soldiers,” he
said, “Fine
doctors, nurses
and therapists
work day and
night to help
the wounded.
“Yet some of
our troops at
Walter Reed have
experienced
bureaucratic
delays and
living
conditions that
are less than
they deserve,”
he said.
“It’s
unacceptable to
me; it’s
unacceptable to
you; it’s
unacceptable to
our country; and
it’s not going
to continue.”
Bush said he
asked Defense
Secretary Robert
M. Gates to
asses the
situation at
Walter Reed and
report his
findings. “He
confirmed that
there are
problems, real
problems,”
Bush said.
“He’s taken
action to
address those
problems and
hold people to
account,
including
relieving the
general in
charge of the
facility and
accepting the
resignation of
the secretary of
the Army.”
Army Secretary
Francis J.
Harvey resigned
March 2 in light
of the problems
at the center,
and Army Maj.
Gen. George W.
Weightman, the
medical
center’s
former
commander, was
relieved of
command March 1.
Bush said the
bipartisan
presidential
commission is
the
“constructive
way” to find
out if problems
similar to those
at Walter Reed
exist at other
military and
veterans
hospitals.
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Related Sites:
Transcript
of President Bush's
American Legion Speech
Fact
Sheet: Taking Care of
America's Returning
Wounded Warriors
Related Articles:
Army
Secretary Resigns in
Wake of Walter Reed
Outpatient-Care
Shortfalls
Bush
Forms Commission to
Review Troops’ Health
Care
Walter
Reed Chief Relieved of
Command
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Tricare
Information Now Housed Under One
Internet Roof
American
Forces Press Service
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| WASHINGTON, Nov. 2006
– Tricare beneficiaries will
get a pleasant surprise the next
time they visit Tricare Online.
The Web site has a new name, a
new look and a new home. It’s
now part of Tricare.mil, the
official Web site for all
Tricare information.
“We reorganized the Web
site with our beneficiaries in
mind,” said Army Maj. Gen.
Elder Granger, deputy director,
Tricare Management Activity.
“Now they can go to one site
to look up benefit information,
schedule an appointment or track
claims. Everything’s in one
place, making the site easier to
use.”
Tricare.mil comprises five main
content areas:
-- My Health (Tricare Online) --
personal health information and
online appointment scheduling
for Tricare Prime enrollees;
-- My Benefit -- Tricare benefit
information;
-- MHS Staff -- resources for
Military Health System staff
members;
-- Tricare Providers --
information for Tricare network
providers; and
-- Pressroom -- the latest news
about Tricare and the military
health system.
In the next phase of Web site
improvements, beneficiaries will
be able to enter their profile
and receive benefit information
tailored to them. Tricare
expects this feature to be
available in winter of 2007.
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Related Sites:
Tricare
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Newest
Vets Receive Priority for VA Medical Care
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
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| WASHINGTON,
Nov. 2005
–
The estimated 120,000 veterans of operations
in Iraq and Afghanistan receiving medical care
through the Department of Veterans Affairs are
getting top priority as they access some of
the world's best-quality medical treatment,
the secretary of Veterans Affairs said.
R. James Nicholson spoke to American Forces
Press Service and the Pentagon Channel in
anticipation of National Veterans Awareness
Week, which began Nov. 6 and continues through
Nov. 12.
Although the wounded veterans of Operation
Iraqi Freedom represent just 2 percent of the
VA's total patient load, "it's a very
important 2 percent because these are young
people who have come back from the combat
zone," Nicholson said.
As a result, the VA is "giving them
priority and making sure we are taking care of
their physical and mental needs" so they
can continue to enjoy productive lives, he
said.
Seeing the nation's young people return
home from combat reinforces the message that
freedom comes at a high cost, Nicholson said.
"Freedom is not free, and they are paying
the ultimate price," Nicholson said.
"And so, they will be taken care of and
given whatever (health care and related
assistance) they need ... for the rest of
their lives."
It's gratifying to watch the recovery these
wounded veterans make, particularly when
hearing many of them say they want nothing
more than to return to duty with their units,
Nicholson said.
But for those unable to do that, Nicholson
said, the VA's responsibility is to help them
see beyond their wounds and recognize that
they can continue to live productive lives.
"That's part of our mission, to show them
all the things they still can do and not have
them focus on the things they can no longer
do," he said.
While the nation gives special
consideration of its veterans this week, the
VA continues its longstanding commitment to
the nation's veterans year-round, Nicholson
said. For the past 75 years, the VA has
provided health services and other benefits to
veterans, living up to the promise made by
President Abraham Lincoln during his second
inaugural speech: "To care for him who
has borne the battle, and for his widow and
his orphan."
Over its history, the VA has created the
world's most comprehensive system of
assistance for veterans, including what
Nicholson described as "world-class
health care." Some 237,000 VA
professionals provide health care to more than
5 million veterans through 187 medical centers
and 860 outpatient clinics.
A computerized medical record system -- one
Nicholson said he hopes will serve as a model
for the Defense Department and other
organizations -- helps eliminate hospital
mix-ups and ensures more thorough patient
care, he said. In addition, VA remains a
leader in medical research, from studies
involving Parkinson's disease to a recent
breakthrough in immunizations for shingles, he
said.
Nicholson said Congress and the Bush
administration have demonstrated through
increased funding for VA health care that they
remain committed to ensuring veterans receive
the top-quality services they deserve. VA
funding has increased more than 50 percent
since 2001, he noted.
"Veterans of every era can rest easy
knowing that access to what has been described
as the finest integrated health care system in
the country will remain undiminished --
especially for low-income veterans, those with
service-connected disabilities (or) special
needs or who have recently returned from
combat," Nicholson said.
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Biography:
R.
James Nicholson
Related Site:
Department of
Veterans Affairs
DoD Begins Tricare Retail Pharmacy Program
June 1
The
Department of Defense announced today that tthe new Tricare Retail Pharmacy (TRRx) contract takes effect
for Tricare beneficiaries located in the 50 United States,
the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin
Islands and Guam. The contract, awarded last year to
Express Scripts Inc. of Maryland Heights, Mo., has
approximately 53,000 civilian pharmacies in the nationwide
network.
In the past, the Tricare regional managed care support
contractors provided retail pharmacy services and most
beneficiaries should not notice the change in services
with the new contract. To use the new retail
pharmacy program, as with all other DoD health programs,
beneficiaries must be eligible and enrolled in the Defense
Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System or DEERS.
“The new single contract integrates the previous
regional contracts into one uniform retail pharmacy
benefit across all Tricare regions,” said Army Col.
William Davies, director, DoD pharmacy programs.
The TRRx program has many new enhancements. Pharmacy
claims processing is now centralized and beneficiaries no
longer have to mail pharmacy claims to multiple sites for
processing or call various telephone numbers to get
assistance filling a prescription when using the retail
network. Patient safety has also been enhanced by
use of the Pharmacy Data Transaction Service to process
all pharmacy claims, including paper claims.
For a single co-payment of $3 for generic or $9 for a
brand-name prescription, eligible TRRx beneficiaries may
continue to receive a 30-day supply of their prescription
medication from the new network of retail
pharmacies. To use this benefit, a written pharmacy
prescription and a uniformed services identification card
are required. Tricare beneficiaries who used a
retail pharmacy last year will receive, by mail, a
pharmacy identification card, a TRRx benefit guide and a
letter listing the twelve network pharmacies close to
their home.
The TRRx benefit is now portable. Beneficiaries
traveling outside of their designated Tricare region who
need to fill a prescription are no longer required to pay
the full prescription price, or file a Tricare claim to
get reimbursed for their out-of-pocket expenses when they
use a Tricare retail network pharmacy. Pharmacy
co-payments are the same in every location where the TRRx
is available.
To locate a network pharmacy, beneficiaries may use the
Tricare pharmacy locator service available on the Express
Scripts Web site at http://www.express-scripts.com/TRICARE, or they may call (866) 363-8779 or, using the letters on
the telephone keypad, spell (866) “DoD-TRRx.”
For eligible beneficiaries with other health insurance (OHI),
Tricare pays after all other insurance plans have
paid. To use Tricare as the secondary payer or to
obtain reimbursement for their out-of pocket pharmacy
expenses, beneficiaries will need to submit a Tricare
claim form (DD Form 2642) and a receipt for their
prescription medication to Express Scripts for
processing. If the medication under the
beneficiary’s OHI is not a covered benefit or if the
beneficiary’s prescription coverage has ended for the
year, Tricare will pay as the primary insurance payer.
The TRRx benefit is not available for beneficiaries who
reside or travel outside the U.S. or its
territories. These beneficiaries are encouraged to
use a military treatment facility, if available, or the
Tricare Mail Order Pharmacy program to fill their
prescription medications. Express Scripts can mail
prescription medications to any U.S. postal address or to
an APO/FPO address. However, Express Scripts cannot
send prescriptions to a private, foreign address.
Prescriptions mailed to beneficiaries in overseas
locations must be prescribed by providers who are licensed
to practice in the United States.
A downloadable Tricare claim form is available on the
Express Scripts Web site at http://www.express-scripts.com/TRICARE
or on the Tricare Web site at http://www.tricare.osd.mil/claims.
Pharmacy claims filed with Express Scripts should be
mailed to: Express Scripts, P. O. Box 66518, St.
Louis, Mo., 63166-6518.
Beneficiaries residing in overseas locations, other than
Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Island, do not have
access to Tricare retail pharmacy networks.
Therefore, they must pay for their prescription
medications upfront and submit a claim with Tricare
overseas claims processor to be reimbursed. For
reimbursement rates or assistance processing a non-network
overseas retail pharmacy claim, beneficiaries may contact
the overseas Tricare Service Center at http://www.tricare.osd.mil/overseas/index.cfm
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