Assignment:
To serve as an expansion upon your discussion, your assignment is to highlight areas where public health can assist the recent changes to TRICARE. For those unfamiliar, TRICARE is the primary insurance carried by active and retired members of our armed services. Upon the passing of the Affordable Care Act, many changes to this system have occurred, with most resulting in reduced coverage for retirees, certain treatment exclusions, higher fees, and more paperwork. In quoting the TRICARE website they, "meet or exceed the minimum essential coverage under the Affordable Care Act."
Summarize the TRICARE system and plans; find areas where local public health offices may be able to help fill voids to recent changes.
As an example, at Tyndall Air Force base in Panama City, Florida, routine dental cleanings and screenings now come with a charge to cover service member's families. As a measure of aid, public health offices in the area could request federal grant money to hire dental professionals to come on a weekly or biweekly basis to perform treatments for service members and their families. (Do not use this example in your assignment.)
Additionally, examine the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's (PPACA) ‘minimum essential coverage' as cited by TRICARE, and determine if you feel those guidelines are sufficient for service members and their families.
Explain your responses in detail and utilize source material to support your statements.
The responses to these questions should be placed in paragraph form, not simply listed as bullets. You need to demonstrate that you can collect, compile, and present a broad array of information in a narrative form
Possible governmental sources include tricare.mil and healthcare.gov. Be sure to integrate your research rather than simply inserting it.