Opening Statement (As Prepared)
POSTPONED
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I would like to thank the majority for holding this hearing today. This event is a timely and crucial opportunity to continue the efforts of the Quality-of-Life Panel on a topic with strong bipartisan support. It has also been quite a while since we had the Military Health System leadership testify.
Earlier this month, the Department notified us of its proposal for a major restructuring of medical services provided at military hospitals and clinics across the country; however, I am not confident in the assessment of the impact the restructuring would have on both beneficiaries and medical readiness. I am also very concerned about the assumption that somehow the already challenged civilian sector has the capacity to provide this care. As GAO noted in a recent report, DOD may have included in its assessments providers who do not meet the required access-to-care standards for beneficiaries while overestimating the adequacy of civilian health care providers in proximity to some military treatment facilities. Offloading medical care of our active duty service members to civilian care is not possible when civilian care is inadequate or, as is frequently occurring now, closed.
I hope that our witnesses today can help us understand why the Department of Defense is reducing health care services to TRICARE beneficiaries while at the same time deploying service members to the Middle East.
If you were to tell me the cuts at these facilities were because military medical personnel are deploying in support of the warfighters, then that might make sense. However, the proposed changes to military hospitals and clinics across the country have predated this war of choice and been in the works for years. In that time, the health care landscape has only degraded further, not improved. Provider shortages are rampant, and the costs of health care are once again outpacing general inflation.
Last year GAO released a report stating the Department had yet to establish a process to validate the number of personnel required to manage and support its medical facilities. I recognize that shortages are a nationwide problem, yet I don’t see the Department of Defense making a concerted effort to address the chronic staffing problem at military treatment facilities. Instead, they’re moving forward with this restructuring without even knowing how many providers they need.
Congress has repeatedly provided greater hiring authorities and flexibilities, yet budget constraints and confusing messaging across the Department have hamstrung efforts to exercise those authorities.
Adding insult to injury is the budget for the Military Health System which has not kept pace with health care inflation. So, while DOD could hire more doctors and nurses at the competitive salary the VA offers, instead they must pick and choose winners and losers among their facilities.
Also frustrating is that the $2 billion provided to the Defense Health Program in last year’s reconciliation has not been spent and this influx of much-needed funding has been unnecessarily delayed.
I believe, and I think that my colleagues would also agree, that the mission of the Military Health System is a no-fail mission. And according to its website:
The Military Health System is one of America’s largest and most complex health care institutions, and the world’s preeminent military health care delivery operation. [The] MHS saves lives on the battlefield, combats infectious disease around the world, and is responsible for providing health services…to approximately 9.5 million beneficiaries.
Uniformed and civilian providers go to work every day to make sure that we don’t forget the lessons from the past and are able to sustain the historic survivability rates achieved in previous conflicts. As a result, I hope the upcoming budget submission reflects the scope of this mission instead of trying to outsource military readiness to the private sector.
Again, thank you for hosting this hearing and I look forward to hearing from our witnesses.
Earlier this month, the Department notified us of its proposal for a major restructuring of medical services provided at military hospitals and clinics across the country; however, I am not confident in the assessment of the impact the restructuring would have on both beneficiaries and medical readiness. I am also very concerned about the assumption that somehow the already challenged civilian sector has the capacity to provide this care. As GAO noted in a recent report, DOD may have included in its assessments providers who do not meet the required access-to-care standards for beneficiaries while overestimating the adequacy of civilian health care providers in proximity to some military treatment facilities. Offloading medical care of our active duty service members to civilian care is not possible when civilian care is inadequate or, as is frequently occurring now, closed.
I hope that our witnesses today can help us understand why the Department of Defense is reducing health care services to TRICARE beneficiaries while at the same time deploying service members to the Middle East.
If you were to tell me the cuts at these facilities were because military medical personnel are deploying in support of the warfighters, then that might make sense. However, the proposed changes to military hospitals and clinics across the country have predated this war of choice and been in the works for years. In that time, the health care landscape has only degraded further, not improved. Provider shortages are rampant, and the costs of health care are once again outpacing general inflation.
Last year GAO released a report stating the Department had yet to establish a process to validate the number of personnel required to manage and support its medical facilities. I recognize that shortages are a nationwide problem, yet I don’t see the Department of Defense making a concerted effort to address the chronic staffing problem at military treatment facilities. Instead, they’re moving forward with this restructuring without even knowing how many providers they need.
Congress has repeatedly provided greater hiring authorities and flexibilities, yet budget constraints and confusing messaging across the Department have hamstrung efforts to exercise those authorities.
Adding insult to injury is the budget for the Military Health System which has not kept pace with health care inflation. So, while DOD could hire more doctors and nurses at the competitive salary the VA offers, instead they must pick and choose winners and losers among their facilities.
Also frustrating is that the $2 billion provided to the Defense Health Program in last year’s reconciliation has not been spent and this influx of much-needed funding has been unnecessarily delayed.
I believe, and I think that my colleagues would also agree, that the mission of the Military Health System is a no-fail mission. And according to its website:
The Military Health System is one of America’s largest and most complex health care institutions, and the world’s preeminent military health care delivery operation. [The] MHS saves lives on the battlefield, combats infectious disease around the world, and is responsible for providing health services…to approximately 9.5 million beneficiaries.
Uniformed and civilian providers go to work every day to make sure that we don’t forget the lessons from the past and are able to sustain the historic survivability rates achieved in previous conflicts. As a result, I hope the upcoming budget submission reflects the scope of this mission instead of trying to outsource military readiness to the private sector.
Again, thank you for hosting this hearing and I look forward to hearing from our witnesses.