Federal Health Programs: Comparison of Medicare, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, Medicaid, Veterans' Health Services, Department of Defense Health Services, and Indian Health Services

GAO compared the Medicare program with five other federal health programs: the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP); the Medicaid and Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) health programs; the Department of Defense's (DOD) TRICARE health program; and the Indian Health Service (IHS). GAO also compared key features of these programs, including: (1) administrative structures, including the number of pages of legislation and regulation; (2) benefit design, including benefits covered and out-of-pocket costs to beneficiaries; (3) costs, including per capita costs and growth rates; and (4) patient and provider satisfaction.