United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office National Security and International Affairs Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1997-02-21 monographic deposited born digital 47 p. GA 1.13:NSIAD-97-83BR https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-83BR P0b002ee180387288 f:ns97083b DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-83BR machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-83BR NSIAD-97-83BR Defense cost control Future budget projections Defense economic analysis Health care programs Financial management Defense budgets Patient care services Total obligational authority Managed health care Health resources utilization Defense Health Program DOD TRICARE Program Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services DOD Future Years Defense Program CHAMPUS DOD TRICARE Prime Program Medicare Program DOD Military Health Services System Briefing Report NSIAD

GAO analyzed the budgetary trends of the Department of Defense's (DOD) Defense Health Program.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) future Defense Health Program costs are likely to be greater than DOD has estimated; (2) GAO's analysis showed that one key assumption DOD used to estimate future program costs appeared to be unrealistic and another was questionable; (3) first, DOD assumed that no cost growth would be attributable to advances in medical technology and the intensity of treatment, an important and valid health care cost growth factor; (4) second, DOD assumed that a certain level of savings would be achieved from its new emphasis on utilization management techniques to reduce unnecessary treatment and testing, although it did not use a formal methodology or analysis to derive the savings; (5) DOD's projection that health program budgets will not increase in constant dollars during fiscal years 1998 to 2003 also appears to be unrealistic, given that during fiscal years 1985 to 1996, the operation and maintenance funds in DOD's health program increased by 73 percent in real terms (operation and maintenance funds take about two-thirds of the Defense Health Program budget); (6) in developing its budget estimates, DOD applied a factor of zero for technology and intensity; (7) according to health care financing experts, DOD's Defense Health Program is subject to some level of cost growth because of the addition of new technology and increased intensity of treatment; (8) these experts agreed that a factor of between 1 and 2 percent would be appropriate to apply to DOD's program; (9) DOD assumed in its program objective memorandum (POM) estimate that it would save 5 percent from utilization management techniques, even though it did not have a formal methodology for estimating this level of savings; (10) although DOD's budget assumptions appear to be optimistic, the extent to which future costs might exceed the budget estimates is unknown; (11) GAO analyzed the effects of using different assumptions on the budget estimates for fiscal years 1998 to 2003; (12) if DOD had accounted for technology and intensity of treatment at a rate of 1.5 percent, for example, in constructing its initial estimates, the projections would have been $3.2 billion higher cumulatively; (13) if DOD is unable to achieve the level of estimated savings it anticipates from utilization management techniques, program costs would exceed the budget estimate by an additional amount; (14) GAO also compared the 1998 POM to revised budge* https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-83BR/html/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-83BR.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-83BR/pdf/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-83BR.pdf GAO/NSIAD-97-83BR https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-83BR Briefing Report GAO/NSIAD-97-83BR; Defense Health Program: Future Costs Are Likely to Be Greater than Estimated; Defense cost control Future budget projections Defense economic analysis Health care programs Financial management Defense budgets Patient care services Total obligational authority Managed health care Health resources utilization Defense Health Program DOD TRICARE Program Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services DOD Future Years Defense Program CHAMPUS DOD TRICARE Prime Program Medicare Program DOD Military Health Services System Title 42 Section 248c 42 U.S.C. 248c