To help ensure veterans' access to timely health care services, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) purchases care from non-VA providers, known as community care. VA estimates that by fiscal year 2022, its obligations for veterans' community care will total $21.3 billion, an increase of $6.6 billion (45 percent) from fiscal year 2018. This estimated increase reflects implementation of the VA

The Defense Health Agency (DHA)—the agency within the Department of Defense (DOD) that administers DOD's health care program, TRICARE—has identified a number of value-based initiatives for potential implementation with civilian providers and hospitals under the TRICARE program. These initiatives aim to help DHA build a value-based health care delivery system, in which providers are rewarded f

Stakeholders GAO interviewed and studies GAO reviewed identified three factors that affect access to follow-up care for childhood cancer survivors—individuals of any age who were diagnosed with cancer from ages 0 through 19. These factors are care affordability, survivors' and health care providers' knowledge of appropriate care, and proximity to care. Childhood cancer survivors need access to

As of May 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had obligated nearly $87 million of the approximately $112 million it received specifically for consumables and medical care in a 2019 emergency supplemental appropriations act. CBP obligated some of these funds for consumable goods and services, like food and hygiene products, as well as med

The Department of Defense's (DOD) methodology to determine Medical Treatment Facilities' (MTF) restructuring actions in its implementation plan (the Plan) prioritized statutory elements. These included military readiness, adequacy of nearby civilian health care, and cost-effectiveness. However, DOD based part of its methodology on incomplete and inaccurate information. (1) Civilian health care as

GAO's analysis of Medicare claims data shows that in 2018 almost 5 million beneficiaries used behavioral health services—services for mental and substance use disorders. This represented about 14 percent of the more than 36 million fee-for-service (traditional) Medicare beneficiaries and reflects about $3.3 billion in spending. Additionally, about 96 percent of all behavioral health services ac

The Department of Defense (DOD) made selective changes to its TRICARE managed care support contracts and acquisition process from the third generation of contracts (T-3) to the fourth generation (T-2017) of contracts. According to DOD officials, the contracts are generally the same, and changes were made to clarify or streamline TRICARE requirements and administrative processes. Officials told GA

Most state Medicaid programs reported that they increased the rates paid to physicians and other health care providers for services that treat substance use disorders (SUD), such as medication or behavioral therapy. Specifically, over 80 percent of all states increased rates for at least one SUD service from 2014 to 2019. About two-thirds of states' rate increases were targeted specifically to SU

Under the 340B Drug Pricing Program (340B Program), administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), drug manufacturers provide discounted prices on outpatient drugs to certain hospitals and other entities. About two-thirds of hospitals participating in the 340B Program (approximately 1,700) are nongovernmental hospitals

The federal government funds many education programs for health care providers, but the vast majority of this funding—more than $10.3 billion in 2015—supports physician residency training through the Department of Health and Human Services's (HHS) Medicare graduate medical education (GME) program. This program does not fund graduate training for nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistan