Post by peterd on Nov 26, 2012 14:54:14 GMT -8
Congress to Decide How TRICARE Rx Fees Will Rise in ‘13
The House and Senate will decide in the next few weeks how military pharmacy fees will be raised in 2013, a step that arguably will be the most significant taken to date to slow growth in military healthcare budgets.
Out-of-pocket costs for military families and retirees who have prescriptions filled in the TRICARE network of retail pharmacies depend on final language in the fiscal 2013 Defense Authorization Act. Congress intends to pass a final defense bill by mid-December.
The House-passed plan for pharmacy fees could win over Senate colleagues during final negotiations on the bill. It already is more palatable with military associations. It calls for more modest co-pay hikes than proposed by the Obama administration. But it would achieve the same first-year savings by requiring beneficiaries 65 and older to use the TRICARE mail order pharmacy program for refills of all maintenance drugs, those that control chronic conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes.
www.military.com/features/0,15240,252578,00.html
The House and Senate will decide in the next few weeks how military pharmacy fees will be raised in 2013, a step that arguably will be the most significant taken to date to slow growth in military healthcare budgets.
Out-of-pocket costs for military families and retirees who have prescriptions filled in the TRICARE network of retail pharmacies depend on final language in the fiscal 2013 Defense Authorization Act. Congress intends to pass a final defense bill by mid-December.
The House-passed plan for pharmacy fees could win over Senate colleagues during final negotiations on the bill. It already is more palatable with military associations. It calls for more modest co-pay hikes than proposed by the Obama administration. But it would achieve the same first-year savings by requiring beneficiaries 65 and older to use the TRICARE mail order pharmacy program for refills of all maintenance drugs, those that control chronic conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes.
www.military.com/features/0,15240,252578,00.html