US Family Health Plan Alliance CEO Jim Schweiter Discusses Military Health Care Reform

In a recent article for the National Military Family Association (NMFA), US Family Health Plan Alliance CEO Jim Schweiter addressed the series of proposed reforms to the Military Health System that are under consideration as part of the fiscal year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act.

In his piece, Schweiter highlights a recent study from the University at Buffalo that emphasized the importance of health care providers who serve our military community having a full understanding of military culture. Further, he urges Congress to preserve those elements of the current system, including TRICARE Prime’s US Family Health Plan program, which have been shown over time to work well, provide high quality care, and achieve better health outcomes and high beneficiary satisfaction.

 

A recent study from the University at Buffalo and published in the journal Military Behavioral Health concluded that health care provider networks that serve veterans and families in the military community need to have a fundamental understanding of military culture in order to provide effective care and improve patients’ health outcomes. This kind of understanding of the military community and culture can only be acquired by working with the military and serving the community and its people over time.  

The findings underscore the critical importance of understanding how military service impacts care utilization—fundamentals that the US Family Health Plan provider organizations have developed and refined through more than 30 years of serving nearly 150,000 military family members.

The US Family Health Plan view is that service members and their families deserve the greatest respect for their service, and also the highest-quality health care. The US Family Health Plan has been a long time leader in quality care for military families, retirees and other beneficiaries in the Military Health System, systemically providing the critical components of health care that is tailored to military families as outlined in the study’s findings:

• An in-depth knowledge of military culture, values and ideals;
• An understanding of the stressors of military life and post-service adjustment;
• Recognition that a person’s military service might influence his or her care utilization habits;
• Avoidance of individual barriers to a patient-provider relationship.

To read Schweiter’s full commentary for the National Military Family Association, click here.