[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 45 (Monday, March 9, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12460-12461]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-05393]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary


Notice of One-Year Extension of TRICARE Co-Pay Waiver at Captain 
James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center Demonstration Project

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice of one-year extension of TRICARE co-pay waiver at 
Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center Demonstration 
Project.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice is to advise interested parties of a one-year 
extension of a demonstration project entitled ``TRICARE Co-Pay Waiver 
at Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) 
Demonstration Project.'' The original waiver notice was published on 
September 27, 2010 (75 FR 59237).

DATES: Effective Date: This one-year extension will be effective from 
October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Michael Bouchard, Director, DoD/VA 
Program Coordination Office, Defense Health Agency, Telephone 703-681-
4258.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background

    For additional information on the TRICARE co-pay waiver 
demonstration at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center 
(FHCC) demonstration project, please see 75 FR 59237. Under this 
demonstration, there would be no deductibles, cost shares, or co-pays 
for eligible beneficiaries seeking care at the FHCC, under the 
authority of 10 U.S.C. 1092(a)(1)(B). The original demonstration notice 
explained that the co-pay waiver demonstration would be used to 
determine if increased utilization at FHCC actually occurred as a 
result of eliminated co-payments, which would in turn influence 
decisions regarding financial integration at future Department of 
Defense (DoD)/Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) models of this 
nature. This demonstration is also integral to the success of the 
integration effort at FHCC; without it, FHCC would see a marked 
reduction in DoD beneficiaries.

B. Description of Extension of Demonstration Project

    Under this demonstration, DoD has waived TRICARE co-payments for 
DoD beneficiaries seen at the FHCC. The FHCC demonstration project is 
scheduled to end on September 30, 2015. The National Defense

[[Page 12461]]

Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year (FY) 2010 section 1701 
requires a report to Congress evaluating the exercise of authorities in 
that title, which is due on October 28, 2015. Therefore, DoD submitted 
a legislative proposal to extend the funding of the FHCC demonstration 
project for an additional year, through September 30, 2016, in order to 
fully assess the FHCC demonstration project, develop and submit the 
final report, and execute the results of the report. In order to allow 
seamless continuation of services to beneficiaries at FHCC, the TRICARE 
co-pay waiver is also extended through September 30, 2016 to align with 
the extension of the funding for the FHCC demonstration project. This 
waiver applies to all inpatient, outpatient, and ancillary services, 
and all outpatient prescription drugs provided at FHCC. This waiver is 
consistent with current policies and procedures followed at all 
military treatment facilities. According to an Independent Government 
Cost Estimate (IGCE), it is estimated that the one-year impact for the 
co-pay waiver in FY 2016 is $121,720, which is slightly higher than the 
original demonstration notice due to an underlying trend of increased 
utilization over time.

C. Evaluation

    An independent evaluation will continue to be conducted as part of 
the overall FHCC evaluation required by NDAA FY2010 section 1701.

    Dated: March 4, 2015.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2015-05393 Filed 3-6-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 5001-06-P