I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6573 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Defense 
to temporarily waive cost-sharing amounts under the TRICARE phar-
macy benefits program during certain declared emergencies. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 21, 2020 
Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER (for herself, Mrs. LURIA, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, 
Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire, Mr. RUSH, Mr. SOTO, Mr. CASE, Ms. 
JACKSON LEE, and Mr. HECK) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize the 
Secretary of Defense to temporarily waive cost-sharing 
amounts under the TRICARE pharmacy benefits pro-
gram during certain declared emergencies. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Help Our Heroes Ac-
cess Medicine Act of 2020’’. 
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SEC. 2. TEMPORARY WAIVER OF COST-SHARING AMOUNTS 
UNDER TRICARE PHARMACY BENEFITS PRO-
GRAM DURING DECLARED EMERGENCY. 
(a) TEMPORARY WAIVER.—Section 1074g of title 10, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(6)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘In 
the case’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided in 
subparagraph (D), in the case’’; 
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘For 
any year’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided in 
subparagraph (D), for any year’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
subparagraph: 
‘‘(D) During a covered emergency, the Secretary may 
waive a requirement for eligible covered beneficiaries to 
pay cost-sharing amounts under this subsection. In deter-
mining whether to waive such requirement, the Secretary 
may consider whether the waiver would— 
‘‘(i) promote use of the national mail-order 
pharmacy program by eligible covered beneficiaries; 
‘‘(ii) reduce movement of eligible covered bene-
ficiaries to facilities of the uniformed services; 
‘‘(iii) promote adherence by eligible covered 
beneficiaries to policies of the Federal, State, or 
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local government relating to social distancing for re-
duced transmission of communicable diseases; or 
‘‘(iv) facilitate any other policy of the Federal, 
State, or local government relating to emergency re-
sponse during a covered period.’’; and 
(2) in subsection (i), by adding at the end the 
following new paragraph: 
‘‘(5) The term ‘covered emergency’ means a pe-
riod— 
‘‘(A) beginning on the date on which the 
President declares a national emergency pursu-
ant to the National Emergencies Act (50 
U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) and ending on the date of 
the termination of such emergency; or 
‘‘(B) beginning on the date on which the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services de-
clares a public health emergency pursuant to 
section 319 of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 247d) and ending on the date of the 
termination of such emergency.’’. 
(b) APPLICATION.—The amendment made in sub-
section (a) shall apply— 
(1) with respect to purchases under the phar-
macy benefits program established under section 
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1047g of title 10, United States Code, occurring on 
or after the date of the enactment of this Act; and 
(2) with respect to covered emergencies in effect 
on or after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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