{"id":13081,"date":"2019-06-13T22:39:59","date_gmt":"2019-06-13T22:39:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/06\/13\/dod-council-will-examine-how-wholesale-changes-in-military-health-care-affect-troops-families\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:27:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:27:50","slug":"dod-council-will-examine-how-wholesale-changes-in-military-health-care-affect-troops-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/pay-benefits\/2019\/06\/13\/dod-council-will-examine-how-wholesale-changes-in-military-health-care-affect-troops-families\/","title":{"rendered":"DoD council will examine how \u2018wholesale\u2019 changes in military health care affect troops\u2019 families"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Citing upcoming changes in the military health care system<\/a>, a high-level Defense Department advisory council will be focusing on how those changes affect military families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DoD Military Family Advisory Council voted to make that a primary area of focus in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is an area where there\u2019s going to be a great amount of turbulence associated with the redoing of our health care system, so ultimately it\u2019s really important that we understand how it\u2019s impacting our families as we make these changes,\u201d said James Stewart, acting under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness and chairman of the council<\/a>. \u201cThese are wholesale, large changes to the way we provide care to our beneficiaries, not necessarily to the members, but certainly to our members\u2019 families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat will have a huge impact. I\u2019d be very intrigued to see and monitor how it affects the families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The military health care system has been undergoing reforms, which began implementation in 2018, including fewer Tricare regions, with new contracts that took effect in 2018. Families in many areas have had trouble finding health care providers<\/a> who accept Tricare, and many complained about their increased costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But DoD is also in the process of changing the entire structure of the system, moving the management and administration of hospitals and clinics away from the Army, Navy and Air Force, to the umbrella of the Defense Health Agency. DoD has also been looking at \u201crightsizing\u201d the system, with an 18 percent cut in medical billets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This summer, DoD is expected to issue a report with details on which military medical facilities will be closed, which will be downsized, and which ones will be ramped up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And DoD is reportedly rethinking the entire structure of its contracts for health care in the civilian community, which could include smaller Tricare regions and possibly agreements with some high-performing civilian health care systems. Across the board, these changes are being referred to as Military Health System reform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important for our feedback as representatives of military families to be considered as the process unfolds and decisions are being made, versus after it\u2019s already implemented and becomes much more difficult to change course,\u201d said council member Karen Ruedisueli and government relations deputy director for the National Military Family Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\t