Title: Department of Defense Healthcare Billing Report Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Department of Defense Healthcare Billing Report Act
This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to evaluate the billing practices of the Department of Defense (DOD) for care received under the TRICARE program (a health care program operated by DOD for servicemembers, military retirees, and their dependents) or at military medical treatment facilities.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3580 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3580

 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, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 25, 2020

 Ms. Cortez Masto introduced the following bill; which was read twice 
            and referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 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, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Department of Defense Healthcare 
Billing Report Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Through the TRICARE program (as defined in section 1072 
        of title 10, United States Code), 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.

SEC. 3. REPORT ON BILLING PRACTICES FOR HEALTH CARE FROM DEPARTMENT OF 
              DEFENSE.

    (a) Report.--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.
    (b) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall include 
the following:
            (1) 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.
            (2) 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 beneficiaries.
            (3) 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 
        beneficiaries.
    (c) 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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