Access to timely, reliable health care remains one of the most persistent concerns among servicemembers and their families. Senior enlisted leaders underscored this reality during a recent congressional hearing, identifying health care access as a top complaint across the force.

MOAA has led efforts on the Military Care, Access, Reporting and Evaluation (CARE) Act (H.R. 6796), a bipartisan bill designed to address these concerns by combating long-standing access challenges at military clinics and hospitals. Staffing shortages at these military treatment facilities (MTFs) have increased wait times, reduced appointment availability, and led to a surge in patient complaints.

As part of Advocacy in Action, MOAA’s annual spring advocacy event, MOAA members will build support for this important bill requiring the Pentagon to establish a digital system that:

• Allows TRICARE beneficiaries to report and track MTF access-to-care issues.
• Sends access complaints to the proper patient advocate.
• Aggregates those data points for use by the Defense Health Agency (DHA) to help officials identify and address widespread problems.

[TAKE ACTION: Ask Your Lawmakers to Support the Military CARE Act]

Patient submissions will create a data set that does not exist today – one that will improve transparency to the patient experience, provide details on specific access-to-care challenges, and allow for accountability in addressing fixable systemic problems.

MOAA members took this solution to Capitol Hill as a concept during last year’s AiA event and were instrumental in building support that led to the bipartisan bill’s introduction by Reps. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), and Don Bacon (R-Neb.)

MOAA is in discussions with member offices to secure a Senate companion bill and advance this reform across both chambers.

Why This Bill Matters

TRICARE has policies to facilitate access to care – including access-to-care standards – but compliance is inconsistent. When MTFs cannot meet access standards, patients are not always referred out to the TRICARE network.

When patients encounter MTF access challenges, they cannot readily switch their care to civilian providers because TRICARE policy limits plan changes to certain timeframes –  the annual open enrollment season or after a qualifying life event. This policy is consistent with commercial plan practices, but it fails to account for the unique nature of the military’s direct care system that has the potential to trap beneficiaries in an MTF that does not meet their needs.

Barriers to MTF access can impact any patient but they disproportionately affect currently serving members and their families – those who are most likely to rely on military hospitals and clinics for their medical care.

[RELATED: A Look at the Military CARE Act]

Military families who can’t readily seek care elsewhere must have a more effective option for reporting MTF access problems and finding help navigating the military health system (MHS) — an option that also increases transparency to beneficiary challenges and leads to greater MHS accountability and oversight.

Please support MOAA’s efforts by visiting our Legislative Action Center and contacting your elected officials. Encourage them to cosponsor the Military CARE Act to drive health care access improvements for servicemembers and their families.