United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2008-05-28 monographic deposited born digital GA 1.13:GAO-08-721R https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-721R P0b002ee18038be19 f:d08721r DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-721R machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-721R GAO-08-721R Beneficiaries Budget functions Budget obligations Budget outlays Budgeting Cost analysis Cost sharing (finance) Data integrity Defense budgets Defense capabilities Health care cost control Health care costs Health care programs Health care services Managed health care Military health services Military personnel Presidential budgets Private sector Budget requests Cost estimates Program costs Defense Health Program DOD TRICARE Program GAO High Risk Series Correspondence A82207

The President's budget request for the Department of Defense's (DOD) Defense Health Program has increased steadily in recent years. For example, from fiscal year 2005 to fiscal year 2009, the budget request for the program increased from about $17.6 billion to about $23.6 billion, an increase of about 34 percent. DOD has attributed a majority of this increase to growth in medical care, dental care, and pharmaceuticals provided in the private sector to active duty personnel and other eligible beneficiaries. These private sector expenses are funded through the Defense Health Program's Private Sector Care Budget Activity Group (BAG). From fiscal year 2005 to fiscal year 2009, the budget request for this BAG increased by about 36 percent--from about $9.0 billion to almost $12.2 billion. The Conference Report accompanying the Fiscal Year 2008 Department of Defense Appropriations bill directed us to review the President's fiscal year 2009 budget request for the Defense Health Program's Private Sector Care BAG. To do this, we reviewed (1) DOD's justification for the request for the Private Sector Care BAG, including the underlying estimates and the extent to which DOD considered historical information; and (2) changes between this request and the request for fiscal year 2008 and factors causing these changes. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-721R/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-721R.htm GAO-08-721R https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-721R Correspondence GAO-08-721R; Review of the President's Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Request for the Defense Health Program's Private Sector Care Budget Activity Group; Beneficiaries Budget functions Budget obligations Budget outlays Budgeting Cost analysis Cost sharing (finance) Data integrity Defense budgets Defense capabilities Health care cost control Health care costs Health care programs Health care services Managed health care Military health services Military personnel Presidential budgets Private sector Budget requests Cost estimates Program costs Defense Health Program DOD TRICARE Program GAO High Risk Series Title 10 Section 1100 10 U.S.C. 1100