U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release

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		No. 1424-07
IMMEDIATE RELEASE		December 20, 2007

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Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England today received the findings and recommendations from the 14-member task force on the future of military healthcare.

The overview of recommendations was provided by the task force co-chairs, Gen. John Corley and Gail Wilensky.

They included:

• Better integration of purchased care and direct care at the point of delivery of healthcare


• Independent examination of financial controls to ensure healthcare for those eligible and to ensure that Tricare operates, as legally required, as a second payer when there is other health insurance


• Ways to improve wellness, preventive care, and disease management programs, and to measure the effectiveness of those programs, emphasizing the need for more coordination, leadership, and outreach outside of the department


• Recommendations for streamlining procurement systems and more effective contracting


• Continued attention on medical readiness of the Reserve component and close attention to the implementation and effectiveness of Tricare Reserve Select


• Restructuring of the cost-sharing structure for retirees and their families (not active duty and families), e.g., changes to enrollment fees, deductibles, co-payments, indexing, etc.), including the pharmacy benefit program, including a modest fee for the Tricare for Life program.

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year of 2007, Public Law 109-364, Sec. 711., established the group and tasked it to provide an assessment of and recommendations for sustaining the military health care services being provided to members of the armed forces, retirees, and their families.

More information on the task force and a copy of the final report are available on its Web site at: http://www.dodfuturehealthcare.net/ .

 

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