Defense Health Care: New Managed Care Plan Progressing, but Cost and Performance Issues Remain
HEHS-96-128
Published: Jun 14, 1996. Publicly Released: Jun 14, 1996.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) implementation of its TRICARE managed health care program, focusing on: (1) whether early implementation produced the expected results; (2) how early outcomes may affect costs; and (3) whether DOD is capturing data needed to manage and assess TRICARE performance.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs to collect data on the timeliness of appointments in order to measure TRICARE performance in improving beneficiary access against DOD standards. |
Closed – Implemented
DOD reported progress in implementing this recommendation and GAO has initiated an assignment to address the access issue in depth, including the recommended measuring performance against standards. Therefore, GAO believes that assignment will encompass and complete the recommended action.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs to assess the impact of new beneficiaries who would not be using military health care if not for TRICARE, by defining these new users, identifying them, and estimating the cost implications of their use of military health care. |
Closed – Implemented
DOD has incorporated TRICARE questions about third-party insurance payers into its ongoing user surveys. This provides DOD the computerized data to identify the impact of beneficiaries choosing TRICARE over other health care options and to complete the recommended action.
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Topics
Data collectionHealth care cost controlHealth care programsHealth services administrationManaged health careMilitary dependentsMilitary personnelRetired military personnelProgram beneficiariesMilitary health care