To require the Comptroller General of the United States to submit to Congress a report assessing the billing practices of the Department of Defense for care received under the TRICARE program and at military medical treatment facilities.

SA 2186. Ms. CORTEZ MASTO submitted an amendment intended to be
proposed by her to the bill S. 4049, to authorize appropriations for
fiscal year 2021 for military activities of the Department of Defense,
for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department
of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal
year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as
follows:

At the end of subtitle C of title VII, add the following:

SEC. __. REPORT ON BILLING PRACTICES FOR HEALTH CARE FROM
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.

(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) Through the TRICARE program, the Department of Defense
provides health care benefits and services to approximately
9,500,000 beneficiaries.
(2) The Department of Defense is not structured as a
typical health care provider, which can lead to complicated
billing practices and strict deadlines for members of the
Armed Forces, former members of the Armed Forces, and their
dependents, as well as for providers.
(3) Numerous findings issued by the Inspector General of
the Department of Defense between 2014 and 2019 describe the
third-party collection program of the Department as
inadequately managed, resulting in substantial uncollected
funds that could be used to improve the quality of health
care at military medical treatment facilities.
(4) Numerous press reports have found that the Federal
Government aggressively collects unpaid debts from uninsured
or low-income civilian patients who happen to receive
treatment at a military medical treatment facility, even
though providing that treatment often benefits military
readiness by providing experience to military medical
professionals.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that it
is in the national interest of the United States to ensure
members of the Armed Forces, former members of the Armed
Forces, and their dependents receive high-quality health
care, and that Federal agencies prioritize fairness and
accessibility when administering health care.
(c) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the
United States shall submit to Congress a report assessing the
billing practices of the Department of Defense for care
received under the TRICARE program or at military medical
treatment facilities.
(2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall
include the following:
(A) A description of the extent to which data is being
collected and maintained on whether beneficiaries under the
TRICARE program have other forms of health insurance.
(B) A description of the extent to which the Secretary of
Defense has implemented the recommendations of the Inspector
General of the Department of Defense to improve collections
of third-party payments for care at military medical
treatment facilities and a description of the impact such
implementation has had on such beneficiaries.
(C) A description of the extent to which the process used
by managed care support contractors under the TRICARE program
to adjudicate third-party liability claims is efficient and
effective, including with respect to communication with such
beneficiaries.
(d) TRICARE Program Defined.--In this section, the term
``TRICARE program'' has the meaning given that term in
section 1072 of title 10, United States Code.
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