[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1290 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1290

   To ensure the ability of covered beneficiaries under the TRICARE 
 program to access care under a health plan under such program in each 
            TRICARE program region, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 12, 2015

  Mr. Rounds introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To ensure the ability of covered beneficiaries under the TRICARE 
 program to access care under a health plan under such program in each 
            TRICARE program region, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``TRICARE Portability Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. PORTABILITY OF HEALTH PLANS UNDER THE TRICARE PROGRAM.

    (a) Health Plan Portability.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that 
        covered beneficiaries under the TRICARE program who are covered 
        under a health plan under such program are able to seamlessly 
        access health care under such health plan in each TRICARE 
        program region.
            (2) Regulations.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prescribe 
        regulations to carry out paragraph (1).
    (b) Mechanisms To Ensure Portability.--In carrying out subsection 
(a), the Secretary shall do the following:
            (1) Provide for the automatic electronic transfer of 
        demographic, enrollment, and claims information between the 
        contractors responsible for administering the TRICARE program 
        in each TRICARE region when covered beneficiaries under the 
        TRICARE program relocate between such regions.
            (2) Ensure such covered beneficiaries are able to obtain a 
        new primary health care provider within ten days of undergoing 
        such relocation.
            (3) Develop a process for such covered beneficiaries to 
        receive urgent care without preauthorization while undergoing 
        such relocation.
    (c) Publication.--The Secretary shall--
            (1) publish information on any modifications made pursuant 
        to subsection (a) with respect to the ability of covered 
        beneficiaries under the TRICARE program who are covered under a 
        health plan under such program to access health care in each 
        TRICARE region on the primary Internet website of the 
        Department that is available to the public; and
            (2) ensure that such information is made available on the 
        primary Internet website that is available to the public of 
        each current contractor responsible for administering the 
        TRICARE program.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section, the terms ``covered 
beneficiary'' and ``TRICARE program'' have the meaning given such terms 
in section 1072 of title 10, United States Code.
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