From preserving access to care for beneficiaries impacted by military treatment facility (MTF) restructuring to ensuring a strong pharmacy network, the FY 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes critical updates to your health care.

Some updates will have near-immediate impacts, while others take the form of studies and pilot programs that will shape coverage in the coming years. Here’s a look at three key passages and programs, why MOAA supports them, and where they stand in the NDAA process, which will pick up in earnest when lawmakers return to Washington after the election.

Halt to MTF Restructuring

• What: The House NDAA would halt plans to close or cut services at more than 40 MTFs and require updated reporting criteria for any proposed MTF downsizing or closure.
  
  
• What Else: The Senate NDAA does not include specific language to undo these changes, but a separate provision would require “comprehensive review” for any Pentagon moves to “downsize, realign, or otherwise reduce the scope of services” at MTFs. The process mandates a “consultative discussion” with the House and Senate Armed Services Committees at least a year prior to any such changes.
  
  
• MOAA’s Role: Maintaining access to care is a key part of a world class health care benefit. We will continue to support proposals like these in the NDAA and other venues to ensure any cuts or access restrictions are supported by a rigorous analysis of civilian care availability and include mitigation efforts that will allow beneficiaries to find reliable care alternatives.

[RELATED: House and Senate NDAA Versions Differ on Your 2027 Raise]

A Strong Pharmacy Benefit

• What: Both House and Senate NDAA versions require an audit of the TRICARE pharmacy program, to include “the adequacy of the retail pharmacy network.” The audit must pay special attention to rural and underserved areas.
  
  
• What Else: The provisions require the audit to assess “meaningful geographic access standards beyond drive-time calculations” as part of the evaluation, as well as “continuity of care and beneficiary preference” standards.
  
  
• MOAA’s Role: We’ve heard from many of our members about pharmacy access problems that speak to the need for this independent evaluation of the TRICARE retail pharmacy network. MOAA already successfully advocated for an initial report on beneficiary impact of retail pharmacy network cuts that indicated an additional 98,000 beneficiaries no longer have a pharmacy within distance-based access standards, 55% more than before the network cuts made in 2022. We appreciate that this new report requirement responds to MOAA’s concerns about the retail network outlined in our statement for the July 15 Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee hearing on the TRICARE Pharmacy program.

[RELATED: 4 Priorities for a Stronger TRICARE Pharmacy Program]

Breaking Access Barriers

• What: The Senate NDAA version includes language requiring the Pentagon to develop a new system for beneficiaries to file complaints about access-to-care issues, ensure those complaints can be tracked and forwarded to proper patient advocates, and submit annual reports to Congress on the number and type of complaints submitted.
  
  
• What Else: The House version includes two provisions that acknowledge the need for improved problem reporting systems. One provision requires a feasibility study of a digital access complaint system. The other directs the Pentagon to set forth the process and timeline for beneficiaries and providers to report TRICARE issues that have not been resolved through existing channels.
  
  
• MOAA’s Role: The MOAA-backed, bipartisan Military CARE Act (H.R. 6796) forms the basis of the Senate provision. Whether it’s a problem securing an appointment, issues after a PCS move, or other barriers to access, a robust data-collection system will not only help the Pentagon address common complaints, it will provide legislators and military health system leadership with the information needed to keep the system accountable.

[RELATED: TRICARE Closes Coverage Gap After Push From MOAA, Other Advocacy Groups]

The House and Senate are working to resolve differences between their respective versions of the FY 2027 NDAA. Please visit MOAA’s legislative action center to support the Military CARE Act and other health care priorities to help ensure they are included in the final version of the bill.

Keep up with the latest NDAA news and more on what promises to be a busy end to the 119th Congress by visiting MOAA’s advocacy news page.