TRICARE Falls Short On Behavioral Health Accessibility Goals
Behavioral Health Business December 22, 2023
TRICARE’s behavioral health benefits may fall short of the Defense Health Agencies’ (DHA) goal of eliminating all unnecessary treatment limitations.
TRICARE is the health plan of the U.S. Department of Defense Military Health System, which covers military personnel, military retirees and their dependents.
In 2016, the DHA unveiled new program goals to expand TRICARE’s behavioral health coverage. These goals included eliminating certain coverage limits and making behavioral health coverage consistent with medical and surgical coverage.
A new report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) examined the DHA’s efforts to achieve these goals and some of its limitations.
The report found there are still some barriers to care for beneficiaries. For example, TRICARE members are required to get authorization for...