Reducing Military Health Care Wait Times Act

Key Points

• This bill requires the Department of Defense to post specific data about health care wait times on its website. It focuses on TRICARE, which is the health care program for military members, retirees, and their families.
• The government would have to track and share two main pieces of information. First, they must show the average number of days it takes for a patient to get an appointment after they book it. Second, they must show how often referrals to other doctors are finished within one business day.
• This change would make it a law to share this data every year. In the past, the Defense Health Agency shared some of this information voluntarily, but this bill ensures they cannot stop reporting it in the future.
• The goal is to help Congress and the public see how well military hospitals are serving patients. By making wait times public, the bill aims to hold the military health system accountable for providing timely care to service members and their families.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.