DoD officials urge TRICARE beneficiaries to visit military hospitals

2/7/2012

Servicemembers who receive TRICARE benefits have the option of going to private providers authorized by the plan, but visiting military hospitals and clinics may save the Department of Defense billions of dollars, Military Times reports.

The potential for savings are there because military facilities only staff physicians and civilian contractors hired by the DoD. By getting care at military facilities, beneficiaries could save $16.4 billion for the Pentagon. Currently, about 4.5 million of the 7.7 million eligible people visit military hospitals for their medical needs.

"Our major opportunities for cost control lie within optimizing the use of the purchased and direct care systems to manage the care delivered to our beneficiaries," Dr. Jonathan Woodson, the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, told the publication.

While the idea is certainly a good one, there are some obstacles that need to be addressed. Sometimes visiting a private facility is the most convenient option, so officials may have to consider adding more military hospitals, according to the news source.

Reducing the military medical budget may be one of the most important areas of discussion as the Pentagon looks to cut $465 billion over the next 10 years. According to the DoD, the medical budget for 2012 will be more than $50 billion.