Our friends at the Military Officers Association of America reported some encouraging TRICARE news this week. According to MOAA the DoD will soon release a report that focuses on options to save money without shifting costs to beneficiaries through fee increases. That is a huge contrast from the tack Secretary Robert Gates took for the last few years, in which he was constantly quoted as saying that “health care costs are eating the Defense Department alive.”
As MOAA – and many of this blog’s readers -- have repeatedly pointed out, there are glaring inefficiencies and duplication of effort in the military health care system. This was confirmed by former Maine Governor, John Baldacci, who recently reviewed the military health care system and came to the same conclusion.
Baldacci found that the current military medical infrastructure is not keeping up with the rapid changes in civilian healthcare delivery. According to Baldacci the systems inefficiency should be addressed before putting the weight of the TRICARE and military medicine costs on the beneficiaries.
It’s about time someone stepped up and made this point. As MOAA puts it “this approach is refreshing,” but they also point out that we need to see the final recommendations “before jumping on board."
Learn more about the Military Officers of America Association.
