Federal Register. TRICARE; Continued Health Care Benefit Program Expansion. Start Preamble. AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Department of Defense. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This final rule executes the expansion of section 1. United States Code (U.
DEERS: TRICARE and DEERS. Eligibility for DoD benefits is based on the sponsor's status and the family.
S. C). With the recent expansions of Military Health System (MHS) coverage, particularly with the Reserve Component (RC) members, some MHS beneficiaries would not be eligible to purchase Continued Health Care Benefit Program (CHCBP) coverage under certain circumstances that terminate their MHS coverage. This provision allows the Secretary to establish CHCBP eligibility for any category of MHS beneficiaries who otherwise would lose MHS coverage with no continued care eligibility. Although the proposed rule listed each authorized category of MHS beneficiary eligible to receive care, on further examination this format for the rule appeared cumbersome and perhaps confusing. Thus this final rule contains some organizational changes to simplify the rule to enhance understanding and make clear that any category including future categories of beneficiaries are entitled to purchase this CHCBP coverage.
This final rule also includes administrative changes providing clarification on eligibility notifications and the CHCBP premium rate publication process. It updates the previous final rule published in the Federal Register on September 3. DATES: Effective Date: October 1.
The Continued Health Care Benefit Program (CHCBP). The Continued Health Care Benefit Program is run by Humana Military Healthcare Services, Inc. Answering your questions about Healthcare and Insurance. Program Information; Death. The following DoD activities are serviced by Washington Headquarters. CONTINUED HEALTH CARE BENEFIT PROGRAM (CHCBP). CONTINUED HEALTH CARE BENEFIT PROGRAM (CHCBP) SUMMARY (Continued). Military Healthcare Services, Inc. Care Benefit Program (CHCBP) for certain DoD.
It’s expected Continued Health Care Benefit Program enrollees will receive.
Start Further Info. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Mark Ellis, TRICARE Policy and Operations, TRICARE Management Activity, 5. Leesburg Pike, Suite 8.
Falls Church, VA 2. End Further Info. End Preamble. Start Supplemental Information. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Start Printed Page 5. I. Introduction and Background. CHCBP is the program that provides continued health care coverage for eligible beneficiaries who lose their MHS eligibility.
It was initially established by Congress in section 4. National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 1.
Public Law 1. 02- 4. U. S. C., by adding section 1. The Department of Defense (Do. D) published the initial final rule regarding CHCBP in the Federal Register on September 3. FR 4. 98. 17). It is modeled after private sector insurance programs giving some employees the ability to continue health insurance coverage after leaving employment as authorized by the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) of 1. A final rule implementing this change was published in the Federal Register on September 3.
Continued Health Care Benefit Program. Healthcare Services, the. Continued Health Care Benefit 7-06.doc Author. Defense Health Program Fiscal Year. Individuals who lose TRICARE eligibility or other coverage are eligible for the Continued Health Care Benefit Program. Continued Health Care Benefit. Continued Health Care Benefit Program. It is a healthcare program intended to provide you with continuous healthcare coverage on a temporary.
The statute was again amended by Section 7. NDAA for FY 2. 00. CHCBP under 1. 0 U. S. C. 1. 07. 8a to include any person specified by regulation prescribed by the Secretary who was authorized coverage under 1. U. S. C. The proposed rule to implement this change was published in the Federal Register on November 2.
The intent of the proposed rule and this final rule is to specify that any person who is currently authorized coverage under 1. U. S. C. 1. 14. 5(a) and any person who may in the future be authorized coverage under chapter 5. U. S. C. 1. 14. 5(a) and who loses that eligibility shall be authorized coverage under the CHCBP. Currently, CHCBP provides coverage for certain active duty (AD) service members and their family members as well as RC members and their families.
The coverage period is up to 3. However, for RC members the coverage is for 1.
AD or when coverage under the Transitional Assistance Management Program (TAMP) (1. U. S. C. 1. 14. 5(a)) ends. The 2. 00. 8 change to 1. U. S. C. 1. 07. 8a expands CHCBP to all who the Secretary specifies in regulation who lose entitlement or eligibility to health care services under 1. U. S. C. 1. 07. 6d or TRICARE Retired Reserve under 1. U. S. C. Section 1. CHCBP will now run for 1.
Reserve program's eligibility. The rule also standardizes the number of days that a written election by an eligible beneficiary must be made to sixty (6. Previously, those losing eligibility for TRICARE Reserve Select had only thirty (3. CHCBP coverage. The rule clarifies that individual locked out of other TRICARE plans per the other TRICARE program rules are not eligible to purchase CHCBP. II. Public Comments. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on November 2. FR 6. 22. 71), for a 6.
We received comments from one individual. We thank the commenter for his comments. Specific matters raised are summarized below. Comment: One commenter said the final changes to the CHCBP could be extremely beneficial to current and former service members, but that eligibility for health care for National Guard/RC members after the member ceases to be entitled to care under 1.
U. S. C. 1. 07. 4(a) (AD) or 1. U. S. C. 1. 14. 5(a) (TAMP) should be extended to at least 2. The commenter noted many health issues that service members are experiencing in theater need more time to be fully understood by the member and to be officially diagnosed. By extending an additional six months, service members who may be in denial about health issues or who may be having trouble transitioning to “civilian” life would have more time to obtain medical and dental care.
Response: The period of CHCBP eligibility after a period of AD or TAMP is limited by statute to 1. However, the 6 months of TAMP plus the 1. CHCBP allows the member the opportunity for 2. Comment: One comment asked for clarity as to how long a “specific and limited period of time” CHCBP can continue. Response: Eligibility timeframes for CHCBP vary by beneficiary category and are outlined in 3. CFR 1. 99. 2. 0(d)(1). Comment: One comment asked who would be considered a “certain former spouse” who is eligible for CHCBP.
Response: Eligibility for unremarried former spouses is outlined in 3. CFR 1. 99. 2. 0(d)(1)(iii).
III. Provisions of Final Rule. This rule expands eligibility to purchase CHCBP coverage for any beneficiary that loses entitlement or eligibility for medical care under 1. U. S. C. 1. 14. 5(a), subject to the coverage limits of 1. U. S. C. 1. 07. 8a. The final rule incorporates a number of revisions from the proposed rule to clarify the expanded coverage adopted by Congress in section 7. NDAA for FY 2. 00. U. S. C. 1. 14. 5 who lose eligibility for care under those parts will be eligible to purchase CHCBP.
For example in relation to coverage of RC personnel and their family members, the children of RC personnel who are covered dependent children under TRS and who reach the coverage age limit will have the same CHCBP eligibility as their counterparts who are children of AD personnel. As another example, a surviving spouse and child of a RC member who dies and who were covered by TRR will have the opportunity to obtain CHCBP coverage for up to three years after TRR coverage ends. Administrative Changes. This final rule provides for improved administration of CHCBP by: Allowing the Department of Defense and the other uniformed services the ability to delegate to a designee the responsibility for notifying persons eligible to receive health benefits under the CHCBP; requiring supporting documentation on any change in status that would make a child eligible for CHCBP; allowing notification of a former spouse's potential eligibility for CHCBP to be made to the CHCBP contractor by the member, former member, or former spouse; establishing a 1.
CHCBP contractor must advise former spouses of their potential eligibility for CHCBP; and discontinuing the requirement that CHCBP premium rates be published annually but, instead, requiring that the premium rates be published whenever a change in rate occurs. There have been no changes in this final rule from the proposed rule on these administrative matters. Start Printed Page 5. This final rule also makes minor editorial changes in an attempt to improve understanding of CHCBP program requirements and processes, including making grammatical improvements in the text of .
There have been a few minor changes in this final rule from the proposed rule on these editorial matters. These include reference to the “TRICARE Standard program” vice the TRICARE basic program; reference to the “CHCBP contractor” vice the “Third Party Administrator; ” and reference to members of the “uniformed services” where the term “armed forces” was inadvertently used. Finally, the final rule includes a conforming change to . That relationship is not covered by the revised provisions in . In addition, this final rule deletes paragraph (p)(3) in its entirety, as that subpart referenced two demonstration projects that are no longer in existence and therefore no longer available to CHCBP participants: The “Home Health Care Demonstration” and the “Home Health Care—Case Management Demonstration.” There have been no changes in this final rule from the proposed rule on these references. IV. Regulatory Procedures.
Executive Order 1. Regulatory Planning and Review” and Public Law 9. Regulatory Flexibility Act” (5 U. S. C. 6. 01)Executive Order 1. The Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) requires that each Federal agency prepare, and make available for public comment, a regulatory flexibility analysis when the agency issues a regulation which would have a significant impact on a substantial number of small entities.
This rule is not an economically significant regulatory action and will not have a significant impact on a substantial number of small entities for purposes of the RFA, thus this final rule is not subject to any of these requirements. Sec. 2. 02, Public Law 1. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act”This rule does not contain unfunded mandates. It does not contain a Federal mandate that may result in the expenditure by State, local, and tribal governments, in aggregate, or by the private sector, of $1. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1. U. S. C. 3. 50. 1- 3. This rule will not impose additional information collection requirements on the public.
OMB previously cleared the collection requirements under OMB Control Number 0. We have examined the impact(s) of the rule under Executive Order 1.
Military Healthcare for the TRICARE South region. Humana Military is the proud administrator of the TRICARE contract in the South Region.
Humana Military has been an active partner with TRICARE for 1.