COLUMBUS — Gov. John Kasich, in partnership with the Ohio National Guard and statewide health care and behavioral health association leaders, is celebrating TRICARE Awareness Week Sept. 8-11, 2014.
TRICARE is the health care delivery system serving active-duty service members, National Guard members and Reservists, retirees, their Families, survivors and certain former spouses worldwide. TRICARE brings together the health care resources of the uniformed services and supplements them with networks of civilian health care professionals, institutions, pharmacies and suppliers to provide access to high-quality health care services.
“TRICARE is a valuable benefit that helps keep Military Families medically fit. We need the continued support of our civilian medical and behavioral health professionals to ensure Military Families have access to quality health care that is comparable to that provided by major civilian health insurance plans,” said Maj. Gen. Deborah A. Ashenhurst, Ohio adjutant general. “While many civilian health care professionals currently accept TRICARE, our goal is to increase the network of choices available to our service members, veterans and their Families.
In 2014, Ohio increased network TRICARE providers by 8.5 percent and non-network providers by 2.23 percent. In 2013, Ohio increased network providers by 13.5 percent and non-network providers by 2.23 percent. These results indicate that Ohio is moving in the opposite direction of the national trend.
Unlike active-duty service members who are always on military status and, as such, covered by TRICARE, National Guard members and Reservists change military statuses whenever they conduct training, mobilize, deploy and reintegrate after mobilization. As National Guard members’ or Reservists’ statuses change, so does their health benefit coverage. National Guard members may move from private insurance coverage to TRICARE and back again. Throughout these status/benefit coverage
changes, the continuity of care received by Reserve Component service members and their Families are subject to compromise if the health care providers are unable to care for the service members and their Families.