[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 75 (Friday, May 27, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E988-E989]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION, ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2012

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. JAY INSLEE

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 24, 2011

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1540) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2012 for military 
     activities of the Department of Defense and for military 
     construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for 
     fiscal year 2012, and for other purposes:

  Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Chair, I rise today to express my concern over a 
provision in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 that would 
limit the access of certain military retirees to the TRICARE Uniformed 
Services Family Health Plan (USFHP).
  As you know, USFHP has been an extremely popular program within the 
Military Health System since its introduction in 1981, serving more 
than 115,000 active duty service members, veterans, and their families 
16 states, including more than 11,000 in Washington state. USFHP 
consistently earns a 90 percent satisfaction rating among its 
enrollees--by far the highest among military beneficiary programs. In 
addition to its success and popularity, this program plays an integral 
component in the Department of Defense (DoD) meeting its commitment to 
provide health care to those who have served our country in uniform.
  The provision included in this year's Defense Authorization bill 
would terminate health care services under the plan when beneficiaries 
reach the age of 65 and become eligible to transfer to Medicare. Over 
one third of all USFHP beneficiaries are currently over 65 and are 
taking advantage of the USFHP managed care structure. Removing them 
from the program could undermine the highly effective disease 
management and prevention aspects of the USFHP, not to mention 
potentially ending longstanding patient-doctor relationships due to the 
change in coverage.
  USFHP is a fully capitated program, providing quality and efficient 
care to beneficiaries. Even recently, Congress highlighted the 
effectiveness of USFHP in the 111th DoD authorization bill, while 
directing DoD to examine opportunities to improve the broader TRICARE 
Program. Additionally last year the Director of TRICARE Management 
engaged USFHP to assist in educating the rest of the DoD system about 
their highly successful prevention and disease management programs.

[[Page E989]]

 As we look to improve the quality of care while addressing high costs, 
we can learn from effective programs like USFHP, which provides managed 
care and includes a focus on preventative care and managing chronic 
illnesses to improve the lives of our service members and potentially 
creating savings in the long run. Transferring beneficiaries to 
Medicare will only shift costs, rather than improve the quality of care 
for those who have served our country.
  In light of this, and the success this program has had in providing 
for those who have served in uniform, I wish to reiterate my support 
for USFHP. I hope we can avoid major alterations to the US Family 
Health Plan and continue to offer this service to all eligible 
beneficiaries, including those over the age of 65, who I believe have 
earned a right to this high quality program through service to our 
country.

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