[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1547 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1547

  To amend title 10, United States Code, to make certain improvements 
                  with respect to the TRICARE program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 22, 1999

Mr. Thornberry introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 10, United States Code, to make certain improvements 
                  with respect to the TRICARE program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION. 1. IMPROVEMENT OF TRICARE PROGRAM.

    (a) Improvement of TRICARE Program.--Chapter 55 of title 10, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1097a the following 
new section:
``Sec. 1097b. TRICARE: comparability of benefits with benefits under 
              Federal Employees Health Benefits program; other 
              requirements and authorities
    ``(a) Comparability of Benefits.--The Secretary of Defense shall, 
to the maximum extent practicable, ensure that the health care coverage 
available through the TRICARE program is substantially similar to the 
health care coverage available under similar health benefits plans 
offered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits program established 
under chapter 89 of title 5.
    ``(b) Portability of Benefits.--The Secretary of Defense shall 
provide that any covered beneficiary enrolled in the TRICARE program 
may receive benefits under that program at facilities that provide 
benefits under that program throughout the various regions of that 
program.
    ``(c) Patient Management.--(1) The Secretary of Defense shall, to 
the maximum extent practicable, minimize the authorization or 
certification requirements imposed upon covered beneficiaries under the 
TRICARE program as a condition of access to benefits under that 
program.
    ``(2) The Secretary of Defense shall implement, with respect the 
first two contracts awarded after the date of the enactment of this 
section to provide managed care support under the TRICARE program, 
redesigned procedures for payment and processing of claims under such 
program. Such procedures shall incorporate best industry practices for 
processing claims for health care services in a simplified and 
expedited manner and shall include electronic claims processing.
    ``(d) Authority for Certain Third-Party Collections.--(1) A medical 
treatment facility of the uniformed services under the TRICARE program 
may collect from a third-party payer the reasonable charges for health 
care services described in paragraph (2) that are incurred by the 
facility on behalf of a covered beneficiary under that program to the 
extent that the beneficiary would be eligible to receive reimbursement 
or indemnification from the third-party payer if the beneficiary were 
to incur such charges on the beneficiary's own behalf.
    ``(2) The reasonable charges described in this paragraph are 
reasonable charges for services or care covered by the medicare program 
under title XVIII of the Social Security Act.
    ``(3) The collection of charges, and the utilization of amounts 
collected, under this subsection shall be subject to the provisions of 
section 1095 of this title. The term `reasonable costs', as used in 
that section shall be deemed for purposes of the application of that 
section to this subsection to refer to the reasonable charges described 
in paragraph (2).
    ``(e) Consultation.--The Secretary of Defense shall carry out any 
actions under this section after consultation with the other 
administering Secretaries.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 55 of such title is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 1097a the following new item:

``1097b. TRICARE: comparability of benefits with benefits under Federal 
                            Employees Health Benefits program; other 
                            requirements and authorities.''.
    (c) Report on Implementation.--(1) Not later than 6 months after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in 
consultation with the other administering Secretaries, shall submit to 
Congress a report assessing the effects of the implementation of the 
requirements and authorities set forth in section 1097b of title 10, 
United States Code (as added by subsection (a)).
    (2) The report shall include the following:
            (A) An assessment of the cost of the implementation of such 
        requirements and authorities.
            (B) An assessment whether or not the implementation of any 
        such requirements and authorities will result in the 
        utilization by the TRICARE program of the best industry 
        practices with respect to the matters covered by such 
        requirements and authorities.
    (3) In this subsection, the term ``administering Secretaries'' has 
the meaning given that term in section 1072(3) of title 10, United 
States Code.
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