Terri Moon Cronk writes that under the Tricare choice program, active duty family members and retirees would have the option to adopt commercial health plans.
âTo put [military treatment facilities] in competition with the private sector would drive up administrative costs and significantly detract from the operational mission of our medical facilities,â Rear Adm. C. Forrest Faison III, deputy surgeon general for the U.S. Navy, said at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committeeâs military personnel subpanel.
Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho, U.S. Army surgeon general, said non-active duty members account for more than 80 percent of the Military Health Systemâs inpatient care.
âThese patients are vital to sustain our graduate medical and health professionalsâ education programs,â she told members of the panel.
âThe loss of these inpatients from our direct health-care system would pose tremendous risk to our training and negatively impact our medical forces readiness posture.â
Dr. Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said the Military Health System has made changes to governance and agrees with the recommendations of the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission.
“Weâve undertaken a comprehensive review of our medical infrastructure and resources and [weâve] presented a modernization plan that proposes to place our most-skilled professionals in the military communities where they are likely to keep those skills sharpest,â he told the panel.