On May 2, the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel approved, by voice vote, its portions of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2008 (H.R. 1585) after a substitute amendment by Subcommittee Chair Vic Snyder (D-AR) was adopted by voice vote.
H.R. 1585 would authorize a 3.5 percent pay increase and would prohibit fee increases for the military health care program, TRICARE, and the TRICARE pharmacy program. Under the bill, TRICARE would not cover health care services arising from a surrogate pregnancy, including prenatal, maternity and newborn infant care, though emergency health care services in military facilities could be provided “on a reimbursable basis.” Further details of the bill will be available upon completion of the full committee’s mark-up on May 9.
Rep. Snyder stated, “The committee again prohibited fee increases in the TRICARE program that were included in the President’s budget request for another year…The committee is concerned that without a careful, comprehensive, unbiased review of the cost of military health care, premature proposals that put the burden on military retirees may not really address systematic cost drivers within the system. The committee also proposes to prohibit fee increases within the TRICARE pharmacy program for another year for similar reasons.” He voiced the committee’s concern regarding mental health services for servicemembers and their families, noting, “The committee is anxiously awaiting the result of the Department of Defense task force on mental health, but understands that there are a number of new concepts and technologies that continue to evolve, particularly in mental health research and development. The committee proposes to establish a mental health initiative that would allow researchers to compete for funding on the scientific merits that would contribute to the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health issues.”
