With New TRICARE Pacts, Defense Dept. Pledges to Learn From Past Contractor Squabbles
Right before the holidays, the U.S. Dept. of Defense (DOD) offered a gift to Humana Inc., renewing its contract to manage health care services for TRICARE beneficiaries via a new $70.9 billion pact that begins in 2024. Yet Centene Corp. received an unwelcome surprise when it learned that its current TRICARE contract will expire at the end of 2023 and then move to a company called TriWest Healthcare Alliance.
Meanwhile, the new contracts appear aimed at addressing troubles that have dogged the military health care program in the past, such as rocky contractor transitions and concerns about continuity of care for families that change locations much more often than their civilian counterparts. In addition to active-duty service members and their families, TRICARE serves retirees and their families, survivors, and certain former spouses.
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