TRICARE and the Military Health System

Running Head : TRICARE and the Military Health System

TRICARE and the Military Health System

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TRICARE and the Military Health System

Statement of the Issue

TRICARE , through the administration of the Department of Defense (DoD consists of various benefits plans provided by domestic and overseas Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs , managed-care and free-for-service organizations (Hyland , 2006 ) The primary goal of TRICARE is to provide apposite health care benefits and plans to working and retired personnel of the uniformed services including their respective

families (Humana Military , 2008 ) At present , TRICARE has 9 .1 . million beneficiaries (Hyland , 2006

Throughout the years , the DoD has been receiving numerous complaints about the benefits system of TRICARE . Some previous issues include inadequate number of healthcare providers and specialists in various areas or regions due to inaccurate reports received by the DoD on the ratio of provider to beneficiary , insufficient funds reimbursed to several areas or regions providing TRICARE benefits , and ineffectiveness of appointed administrators to oversee the entire TRICARE system and services and access of beneficiaries (U .S . General Accounting Office 2003

This year , the DoD is facing yet again another issue that challenges the accountability and reliability of TRICARE as a benefits plan . The proposed plans of U .S . President Barack Obama to reform the healthcare system in the country may significantly affect the quality of TRICARE benefits plans . By and large , the Obama administration reviewed possibilities of adjusting the national budget so as to ensure that all citizens will...