Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 129 /Tuesday, July 7, 1998 / Proposed Rules 36651

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

32 CFR Part 199

RIN 0720–AA48

Civilian Health and Medical Program of

the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS);

TRICARE Prime Enrollment

Procedures

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DOD.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY: This proposed rule modifies

the TRICARE Prime enrollment for

active duty families by specifying that

the enrollment period is continuous

rather than a 12 month enrollment

period and it allows monthly

installment payments of enrollment fees

for those beneficiaries required to pay

an annual fee in order to enroll in

TRICARE Prime. These modifications

are being made because TRICARE will

soon be available wordwide for active

duty family members.

DATES: Public comments must be

received by September 8, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Forward comments to:

TRICARE Support Office (TSO),

Program Development Branch, Aurora,

CO 80045–6900.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kathleen Larkin, Office of the Assistant

Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs),

telephone (703) 681–1742.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Proposed Changes Regarding The

TRICARE Prime Enrollment Period

This proposes a change to the

TRICARE Prime enrollment period from

a 12-month enrollment period to

continuous enrollment until such time

as the enrollee opts to disenroll from

TRICARE Prime. TRICARE Prime was

originally designed so that enrollees

would be required to take positive

action to continue their enrollment in

TRICARE Prime at or before their 12-

month anniversary date. Positive action

to reenroll was required because

TRICARE implementation was not

available in all regions of the country

and overseas locations. Now the

TRICARE will soon be available

worldwide for active duty family

members, the requirement that

beneficiaries must take positive steps to

remain enrolled is not longer necessary.

The proposed rule allows the enrollee to

remain enrolled in TRICARE Prime

until the enrollee takes positive steps to

disenroll from TRICARE Prime, or is no

longer eligible for TRICARE Prime.

II. Proposed Change to Installment

Payments of Enrollment Fees

When we first instituted the

requirement for annual TRICARE Prime

enrollment fees for certain beneficiary

categories, we allowed for quarterly

installment payments of the enrollment

fees. In keeping with the nature of

continuous enrollment, retirees, their

families, and other beneficiaries

required to pay an annual enrollment

fee will be offered additional flexibility

in fee payment by allowing for monthly

installment payments of enrollment

fees.

III. Regulatory Procedures

Executive Order 12866 requires

certain regulatory assessments for any

significant regulatory action, defined as

one which would result in an annual

effect on the economy of $100 million

or more, or have other substantial

impacts.

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 is not a significant regulatory

action under the provisions of Executive

Order 12866, and it would not have a

significant impact on a substantial

number of small entities.

The proposed rule will not impose

additional information collection

requirements on the public under the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44

U.S.C. Chapter 55).

Public comments are invited. All

comments will be carefully considered.

A discussion of the major issues

received by public comments will be

included with the issuance of the

permanent final rule, anticipated

approximately 60 days after the end of

the comment period.

List of Subjects in 32 CFR Part 199

Administrative practice and

procedures, Claims, Fraud, Health care,

Health insurance, Individuals with

disabilities, Military personnel,

Reporting and recordkeeping

requirements.

Accordingly, 32 CFR part 199 is

proposed to be amended as follows:

PART 199—[AMENDED]

1. The authority citation for part 199

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 5 U.S.C. 301; 10 U.S.C. chapter

55.

2. Section 199.17 is proposed to be

amended by revising paragraphs (o)(2)

and (o)(3), redesignating paragraphs

(o)(4) and (o)(5) as paragraphs (o)(5) and

(o)(6), respectively, and adding a new

paragraph (o)(4) to read as follows:

§ 199.17 TRICARE program.

* * * * *

(o) TRICARE program enrollment

procedures. * * *

(2) Enrollment period. Beneficiaries

who select the TRICARE Prime option

remain enrolled in TRICARE Prime

until they take action to disenroll, are

no longer eligible for enrollment in

TRICARE Prime, or for failure to pay

required enrollment fees. There is no

minimum length of time an enrollee

must remain enrolled in TRICARE

Prime before they are eligible to

disenroll. Disenrollment for failure to

pay enrollment fees is outlined in

paragraph (o)(3) of this section.

(3) Installment payments of

enrollment fee. The enrollment fee

required by § 199.18(c) may be paid in

monthly or quarterly installments. For

beneficiaries paying enrollment fees on

an installment basis, failure to make a

required installment payment on a

timely basis (including a grace period,

as determined by the Director,

(CHAMPUS) will result in termination

of the beneficiary’s enrollment in Prime

and disqualification from future

enrollment in Prime for a period of one

year.

(4) Disenrollment. Any beneficiary for

whom enrollment in Prime is voluntary

may disenroll at any time.

Disenrollment will take effect in

accordance with administrative

procedures established by the Assistant

Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) or

his or her designee. Beneficiaries who

disenroll will not be eligible to reenroll

in Prime for a one year period from the

effective date of the disenrollment. This

one year exclusion may be waived by

the Assistant Secretary of Defense

(Health Affairs) or his or her designee

based on extraordinary circumstances.

* * * * *

Dated: June 30, 1998.

L.M. Bynum,

Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison

Officer, Department of Defense.

[FR Doc. 98–17849 Filed 7–6–98; 8:45 am]

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