US Code
CHAPTER 55— MEDICAL AND DENTAL CARE
§ 1079. Contracts for medical care for spouses and children: plans

(a) To assure that medical care is available for dependents, as described in subparagraphs (A), (D), and (I) of section 1072(2) of this title, of members of the uniformed services who are on active duty for a period of more than 30 days, the Secretary of Defense, after consulting with the other administering Secretaries, shall contract, under the authority of this section, for medical care for those persons under such insurance, medical service, or health plans as he considers appropriate. The types of health care authorized under this section shall be the same as those provided under section 1076 of this title, except as follows:(1) With respect to dental care—(A) except as provided in subparagraph (B), only that care required as a necessary adjunct to medical or surgical treatment may be provided; and
(B) in connection with dental treatment for patients with developmental, mental, or physical disabilities or for pediatric patients age 5 or under, only institutional and anesthesia services may be provided.
(2) Consistent with such regulations as the Secretary of Defense may prescribe regarding the content of health promotion and disease prevention visits, the schedule and method of cervical cancer screenings and breast cancer screenings, the schedule and method of colon and prostate cancer screenings, and the types and schedule of immunizations—(A) for dependents under six years of age, both health promotion and disease prevention visits and immunizations may be provided; and
(B) for dependents six years of age or older, health promotion and disease prevention visits may be provided in connection with immunizations or with diagnostic or preventive cervical and breast cancer screenings or colon and prostate cancer screenings.
(3) Not more than one eye examination may be provided to a patient in any calendar year.
(4) Under joint regulations to be prescribed by the administering Secretaries, the services of Christian Science practitioners and nurses and services obtained in Christian Science sanatoriums may be provided.
(5) Durable equipment provided under this section may be provided on a rental basis.
(6) Services in connection with nonemergency inpatient hospital care may not be provided if such services are available at a facility of the uniformed services located within a 40-mile radius of the residence of the patient, except that those services may be provided in any case in which another insurance plan or program provides primary coverage for those services.
(7) Services of pastoral counselors, family and child counselors, or marital counselors (other than certified marriage and family therapists) may not be provided unless the patient has been referred to the counselor by a medical doctor for treatment of a specific problem with the results of that treatment to be communicated back to the medical doctor who made the referral and services of certified marriage and family therapists may be provided consistent with such rules as may be prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, including credentialing criteria and a requirement that the therapists accept payment under this section as full payment for all services provided.
(8) Special education may not be provided, except when provided as secondary to the active psychiatric treatment on an institutional inpatient basis.
(9) Therapy or counseling for sexual dysfunctions or sexual inadequacies may not be provided.
(10) Treatment of obesity may not be provided if obesity is the sole or major condition treated.
(11) Surgery which improves physical appearance but is not expected to significantly restore functions (including mammary augmentation, face lifts, and sex gender changes) may not be provided, except that—(A) breast reconstructive surgery following a mastectomy may be provided;
(B) reconstructive surgery to correct serious deformities caused by congenital anomalies or accidental injuries may be provided; and
(C) neoplastic surgery may be provided.
(12) Any service or supply which is not medically or psychologically necessary to prevent, diagnose, or treat a mental or physical illness, injury, or bodily malfunction as assessed or diagnosed by a physician, dentist, clinical psychologist, certified marriage and family therapist, optometrist, podiatrist, certified nurse-midwife, certified nurse practitioner, certified clinical social worker, or other class of provider as designated by the Secretary of Defense, as appropriate, may not be provided, except as authorized in paragraph (4). Pursuant to an agreement with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and under such regulations as the Secretary of Defense may prescribe, the Secretary of Defense may waive the operation of this paragraph in connection with clinical trials sponsored or approved by the National Institutes of Health if the Secretary of Defense determines that such a waiver will promote access by covered beneficiaries to promising new treatments and contribute to the development of such treatments.
(13) The prohibition contained in section 1077(b)(3) of this title shall not apply in the case of a member or former member of the uniformed services.
(14) Electronic cardio-respiratory home monitoring equipment (apnea monitors) for home use may be provided if a physician prescribes and supervises the use of the monitor for an infant—(A) who has had an apparent life-threatening event,
(B) who is a subsequent sibling of a victim of sudden infant death syndrome,
(C) whose birth weight was 1,500 grams or less, or
(D) who is a pre-term infant with pathologic apnea,
in which case the coverage may include the cost of the equipment, hard copy analysis of physiological alarms, professional visits, diagnostic testing, family training on how to respond to apparent life threatening events, and assistance necessary for proper use of the equipment.
(15) Hospice care may be provided only in the manner and under the conditions provided in section 1861(dd) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(dd)), except that hospice care may be provided to an individual under the age of 21 concurrently with health care services or hospitalization for the same condition.
(16) Forensic examinations following a sexual assault or domestic violence may be provided.
(17) Breastfeeding support, supplies (including breast pumps and associated equipment), and counseling shall be provided as appropriate during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
(18) Treatment for eating disorders may be provided in accordance with subsection (r).
(19) Preconception and prenatal carrier screening tests shall be provided to eligible covered beneficiaries, with a limit per beneficiary of one test per condition per lifetime, for the following conditions:(A) Cystic Fibrosis.
(B) Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
(C) Fragile X Syndrome.
(D) Tay-Sachs Disease.
(E) Hemoglobinopathies.
(F) Conditions linked with Ashkenazi Jewish descent.
(b) Plans covered by subsection (a) shall include provisions for payment by the patient of the following amounts:(1) $25 for each admission to a hospital, or the amount the patient would have been charged under section 1078(a) of this title had the care being paid for been obtained in a hospital of the uniformed services, whichever amount is the greater. The Secretary of Defense may exempt a patient from paying such amount if the hospital to which the patient is admitted does not impose a legal obligation on any of its patients to pay for inpatient care.
(2) Except as provided in clause (3), the first $150 each calendar year of the charges for all types of care authorized by subsection (a) and received while in an outpatient status and 20 percent of all subsequent charges for such care during a calendar year. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, in the case of a dependent of an enlisted member in a pay grade below E–5, the initial deductible each calendar year under this paragraph shall be limited to $50.
(3) A family group of two or more persons covered by this section shall not be required to pay collectively more than the first $300 (or in the case of the family group of an enlisted member in a pay grade below E–5, the first $100) each calendar year of the charges for all types of care authorized by subsection (a) and received while in an outpatient status and 20 percent of the additional charges for such care during a calendar year.
(4) $25 for surgical care that is authorized by subsection (a) and received while in an outpatient status and that has been designated (under joint regulations to be prescribed by the administering Secretaries) as care to be treated as inpatient care for purposes of this subsection. Any care for which payment is made under this clause shall not be considered to be care received while in an outpatient status for purposes of clauses (2) and (3).
(5) An individual or family group of two or more persons covered by this section may not be required by reason of this subsection to pay a total of more than $1,000 for health care received during any calendar year under a plan under subsection (a).
(c) The methods for making payment under subsection (b) shall be prescribed under joint regulations issued by the administering Secretaries.
(d)(1) The Secretary of Defense shall establish a program to provide extended benefits for eligible dependents, which may include the provision of comprehensive health care services, including case management services, to assist in the reduction of the disabling effects of a qualifying condition of an eligible dependent. Registration shall be required to receive the extended benefits.
(2) The Secretary of Defense, after consultation with the other administering Secretaries, shall promulgate regulations to carry out this subsection.
(3) In this subsection:(A) The term “eligible dependent” means a dependent of a member of the uniformed services on active duty for a period of more than 30 days, as described in subparagraph (A), (D), or (I) of section 1072(2) of this title, who has a qualifying condition.
(B) The term “qualifying condition” means the condition of a dependent who is moderately or severely mentally retarded, has a serious physical disability, or has an extraordinary physical or psychological condition.
(e)(1) Extended benefits for eligible dependents under subsection (d) may include comprehensive health care services (including services necessary to maintain, or minimize or prevent deterioration of, function of the patient) and case management services with respect to the qualifying condition of such a dependent, and include, to the extent such benefits are not provided under provisions of this chapter other than under this section, the following:(A) Diagnosis and screening.
(B) Inpatient, outpatient, and comprehensive home health care supplies and services which may include cost-effective and medically appropriate services other than part-time or intermittent services (within the meaning of such terms as used in the second sentence of section 1861(m) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x)).
(C) Rehabilitation services and devices.
(D) In accordance with paragraph (2), respite care for the primary caregiver of the eligible dependent.
(E) In accordance with paragraph (3), service and modification of durable equipment and assistive technology devices.
(F) Special education.
(G) Vocational training, which may be furnished to an eligible dependent in the residence of the eligible dependent or at a facility in which such training is provided.
(H) Such other services and supplies as determined appropriate by the Secretary, notwithstanding the limitations in subsection (a)(12).
(2) Respite care under paragraph (1)(D) shall be provided subject to the following conditions:(A) Pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Secretary for purposes of this paragraph, such respite care shall be limited to 32 hours per month for a primary caregiver.
(B) Unused hours of such respite care may not be carried over to another month.
(C) Such respite care may be provided to an eligible beneficiary regardless of whether the eligible beneficiary is receiving another benefit under this subsection.
(3)(A) Service and modification of durable equipment and assistive technology devices under paragraph (1)(E) may be provided only upon determination by the Secretary that the service or modification is necessary for the use of such equipment or device by the eligible dependent.
(B) Service and modification of durable equipment and assistive technology devices under such paragraph may not be provided—(i) in the case of misuse, loss, or theft of the equipment or device; or
(ii) for a deluxe, luxury, or immaterial feature of the equipment or device, as determined by the Secretary.
(C) Service and modification of durable equipment and assistive technology devices under such paragraph may include training of the eligible dependent and immediate family members of the eligible dependent on the use of the equipment or device.
(f)(1) Members shall be required to share in the cost of any benefits provided to their dependents under subsection (d) as follows:(A) Members in the lowest enlisted pay grade shall be required to pay the first $25 incurred each month, and members in the highest commissioned pay grade shall be required to pay the first $250 incurred each month. The amounts to be paid by members in all other pay grades shall be determined under regulations to be prescribed by the Secretary of Defense in consultation with the administering Secretaries.
(B) A member who has more than one dependent incurring expenses in a given month under a plan covered by subsection (d) shall not be required to pay an amount greater than would be required if the member had only one such dependent.
(2) In the case of extended benefits provided under subparagraph (C), (E), (F), or (G) of subsection (e)(1) to a dependent of a member of the uniformed services—(A) the Government’s share of the total cost of providing such benefits in any year shall not exceed $36,000, prorated as determined by the Secretary of Defense, except for costs that a member is exempt from paying under paragraph (3); and
(B) the member shall pay (in addition to any amount payable under paragraph (1)) the amount, if any, by which the amount of such total cost for the year exceeds the Government’s maximum share under subparagraph (A).
(3) A member of the uniformed services who incurs expenses under paragraph (2) for a month for more than one dependent shall not be required to pay for the month under subparagraph (B) of that paragraph an amount greater than the amount the member would otherwise be required to pay under that subparagraph for the month if the member were incurring expenses under that subparagraph for only one dependent.
(4) To qualify for extended benefits under subparagraph (C), (E), (F), or (G) of subsection (e)(1), a dependent of a member of the uniformed services shall be required to use public facilities to the extent such facilities are available and adequate, as determined under joint regulations of the administering Secretaries.
(5) The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the other administering Secretaries, shall prescribe regulations to carry out this subsection.
(g)(1) When a member dies while he is eligible for receipt of hostile fire pay under section 310 or 351 of title 37 or from a disease or injury incurred while eligible for such pay, his dependents who are receiving benefits under a plan covered by subsection (d) shall continue to be eligible for such benefits until they pass their twenty-first birthday.
(2) In addition to any continuation of eligibility for benefits under paragraph (1), when a member dies while on active duty for a period of more than 30 days, the member’s dependents who are receiving benefits under a plan covered by subsection (a) shall continue to be eligible for benefits under TRICARE Prime during the three-year period beginning on the date of the member’s death, except that, in the case of such a dependent of the deceased who is described by subparagraph (D) or (I) of section 1072(2) of this title, the period of continued eligibility shall be the longer of the following periods beginning on such date:(A) Three years.
(B) The period ending on the date on which such dependent attains 21 years of age.
(C) In the case of such a dependent who, at 21 years of age, is enrolled in a full-time course of study in a secondary school or in a full-time course of study in an institution of higher education approved by the administering Secretary and was, at the time of the member’s death, in fact dependent on the member for over one-half of such dependent’s support, the period ending on the earlier of the following dates:(i) The date on which such dependent ceases to pursue such a course of study, as determined by the administering Secretary.
(ii) The date on which such dependent attains 23 years of age.
(3) For the purposes of paragraph (2)(C), a dependent shall be treated as being enrolled in a full-time course of study in an institution of higher education during any reasonable period of transition between the dependent’s completion of a full-time course of study in a secondary school and the commencement of an enrollment in a full-time course of study in an institution of higher education, as determined by the administering Secretary.
(4) The terms and conditions under which health benefits are provided under this chapter to a dependent of a deceased member under paragraph (2) shall be the same as those that would apply to the dependent under this chapter if the member were living and serving on active duty for a period of more than 30 days.
(5) In this subsection, the term “TRICARE Prime” means the managed care option of the TRICARE program.
(h)(1) Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3), payment for a charge for services by an individual health care professional (or other noninstitutional health care provider) for which a claim is submitted under a plan contracted for under subsection (a) shall be equal to an amount determined to be appropriate, to the extent practicable, in accordance with the same reimbursement rules as apply to payments for similar services under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.). The Secretary of Defense shall determine the appropriate payment amount under this paragraph in consultation with the other administering Secretaries.
(2) The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the other administering Secretaries, shall prescribe regulations to provide for such exceptions to the payment limitations under paragraph (1) as the Secretary determines to be necessary to assure that covered beneficiaries retain adequate access to health care services. Such exceptions may include the payment of amounts higher than the amount allowed under paragraph (1) when enrollees in managed care programs obtain covered services from nonparticipating providers. To provide a suitable transition from the payment methodologies in effect before February 10, 1996, to the methodology required by paragraph (1), the amount allowable for any service may not be reduced by more than 15 percent below the amount allowed for the same service during the immediately preceding 12-month period (or other period as established by the Secretary of Defense).
(3) In addition to the authority provided under paragraph (2), the Secretary of Defense may authorize the commander of a facility of the uniformed services, the lead agent (if other than the commander), and the health care contractor to modify the payment limitations under paragraph (1) for certain health care providers when necessary to ensure both the availability of certain services for covered beneficiaries and lower costs than would otherwise be incurred to provide the services. With the consent of the health care provider, the Secretary is also authorized to reduce the authorized payment for certain health care services below the amount otherwise required by the payment limitations under paragraph (1).
(4)(A) The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the other administering Secretaries, shall prescribe regulations to establish limitations (similar to the limitations established under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.)) on beneficiary liability for charges of an individual health care professional (or other noninstitutional health care provider).
(B) The regulations shall include a restriction that prohibits an individual health care professional (or other noninstitutional health care provider) from billing a beneficiary for services for more than the amount that is equal to—(i) the excess of the limiting charge (as defined in section 1848(g)(2) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w–4(g)(2))) that would be applicable if the services had been provided by the professional (or other provider) as an individual health care professional (or other noninstitutional health care provider) on a nonassignment-related basis under part B of title XVIII of such Act over the amount that is payable by the United States for those services under this subsection, plus
(ii) any unpaid amounts of deductibles or copayments that are payable directly to the professional (or other provider) by the beneficiary.
(C)(i) In the case of a dependent described in clause (ii), the regulations shall provide that, in addition to amounts otherwise payable by the United States, the Secretary may pay the amount referred to in subparagraph (B)(i).
(ii) This subparagraph applies to a dependent referred to in subsection (a) of a member of a reserve component serving on active duty pursuant to a call or order to active duty for a period of more than 30 days.
(5) To assure access to care for all covered beneficiaries, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the other administering Secretaries, shall designate specific rates for reimbursement for services in certain localities if the Secretary determines that without payment of such rates access to health care services would be severely impaired. Such a determination shall be based on consideration of the number of providers in a locality who provide the services, the number of such providers who are CHAMPUS participating providers, the number of covered beneficiaries under CHAMPUS in the locality, the availability of military providers in the location or a nearby location, and any other factors determined to be relevant by the Secretary.
(i)(1) A benefit may not be paid under a plan covered by this section in the case of a person enrolled in, or covered by, any other insurance, medical service, or health plan, including any plan offered by a third-party payer (as defined in section 1095(h)(1) of this title), to the extent that the benefit is also a benefit under the other plan, except in the case of a plan administered under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.).
(2) The amount to be paid to a provider of services for services provided under a plan covered by this section shall be determined under joint regulations to be prescribed by the administering Secretaries which provide that the amount of such payments shall be determined to the extent practicable in accordance with the same reimbursement rules as apply to payments to providers of services of the same type under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.).
(3) A contract for a plan covered by this section shall include a clause that prohibits each provider of services under the plan from billing any person covered by the plan for any balance of charges for services in excess of the amount paid for those services under the joint regulations referred to in paragraph (2), except for any unpaid amounts of deductibles or copayments that are payable directly to the provider by the person.
(4) In this subsection, the term “provider of services” means a hospital, skilled nursing facility, comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facility, home health agency, hospice program (as defined in section 1861(dd)(2) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(dd)(2))), or other institutional facility providing services for which payment may be made under a plan covered by this section.
(j) A plan covered by this section may include provision of liver transplants (including the cost of acquisition and transportation of the donated liver) in accordance with this subsection. Such a liver transplant may be provided if—(1) the transplant is for a dependent considered appropriate for that procedure by the Secretary of Defense in consultation with the other administering Secretaries and such other entities as the Secretary considers appropriate; and
(2) the transplant is to be carried out at a health-care facility that has been approved for that purpose by the Secretary of Defense after consultation with the other administering Secretaries and such other entities as the Secretary considers appropriate.
(k)(1) Contracts entered into under subsection (a) shall also provide for medical care for dependents of former members of the uniformed services who are authorized to receive medical and dental care under section 1076(e) of this title in facilities of the uniformed services.
(2) Except as provided in paragraph (3), medical care in the case of a dependent described in section 1076(e) shall be furnished under the same conditions and subject to the same limitations as medical care furnished under this section to spouses and children of members of the uniformed services described in the first sentence of subsection (a).
(3) Medical care may be furnished to a dependent pursuant to paragraph (1) only for an injury, illness, or other condition described in section 1076(e) of this title.
(l)(1) Subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary of Defense may, upon request, make payments under this section for a charge for services for which a claim is submitted under a plan contracted for under subsection (a) to a hospital that does not impose a legal obligation on any of its patients to pay for such services.
(2) A payment under paragraph (1) may not exceed the average amount paid for comparable services in the geographic area in which the hospital is located or, if no comparable services are available in that area, in an area similar to the area in which the hospital is located.
(3) The Secretary of Defense shall periodically review the billing practices of each hospital the Secretary approves for payment under this subsection to ensure that the hospital’s practices of not billing patients for payment are not resulting in increased costs to the Government.
(4) The Secretary of Defense may require each hospital the Secretary approves for payment under this subsection to provide evidence that it has sources of revenue to cover unbilled costs.
(m) The Secretary of Defense may enter into contracts (or amend existing contracts) with fiscal intermediaries under which the intermediaries agree to organize and operate, directly or through subcontractors, managed health care networks for the provision of health care under this chapter. The managed health care networks shall include cost containment methods, such as utilization review and contracting for care on a discounted basis.
(n)(1) Health care services provided pursuant to this section or section 1086 of this title (or pursuant to any other contract or project under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services) may not include services determined under the CHAMPUS Peer Review Organization program to be not medically or psychologically necessary.
(2) The Secretary of Defense, after consulting with the other administering Secretaries, may adopt or adapt for use under the CHAMPUS Peer Review Organization program, as the Secretary considers appropriate, any of the quality and utilization review requirements and procedures that are used by the Peer Review Organization program under part B of title XI of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320c et seq.).
(o)(1) Subject to such exceptions as the Secretary of Defense considers necessary, coverage for medical care under this section for the dependents described in paragraph (3), and standards with respect to timely access to such care, shall be comparable to coverage for medical care and standards for timely access to such care under the managed care option of the TRICARE program known as TRICARE Prime.
(2) The Secretary of Defense shall enter into arrangements with contractors under the TRICARE program or with other appropriate contractors for the timely and efficient processing of claims under this subsection.
(3) This subsection applies with respect to a dependent referred to in subsection (a) who—(A) is a dependent of a member of the uniformed services referred to in section 1074(c)(3) of this title and is residing with the member;
(B) is a dependent of a member who, after having served in a duty assignment described in section 1074(c)(3) of this title, has relocated without the dependent pursuant to orders for a permanent change of duty station from a remote location described in subparagraph (B)(ii) of such section where the member and the dependent resided together while the member served in such assignment, if the orders do not authorize dependents to accompany the member to the new duty station at the expense of the United States and the dependent continues to reside at the same remote location, or
(C) is a dependent of a reserve component member ordered to active duty for a period of more than 30 days and is residing with the member, and the residence is located more than 50 miles, or approximately one hour of driving time, from the nearest military medical treatment facility adequate to provide the needed care.
(4) The Secretary of Defense may provide for coverage of a dependent referred to in subsection (a) who is not described in paragraph (3) if the Secretary determines that exceptional circumstances warrant such coverage.
(5) The Secretary of Defense shall consult with the other administering Secretaries in the administration of this subsection.
(p) Subject to subsection (a), a physician or other health care practitioner who is eligible to receive reimbursement for services provided under medicare (as defined in section 1086(d)(3)(C) of this title) shall be considered approved to provide medical care authorized under this section and section 1086 of this title unless the administering Secretaries have information indicating medicare, TRICARE, or other Federal health care program integrity violations by the physician or other health care practitioner.
(q) In the case of any pharmaceutical agent (as defined in section 1074g(i) of this title) provided under a contract entered into under this section by a physician, in an outpatient department of a hospital, or otherwise as part of any medical services provided under such a contract, the Secretary of Defense may, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary, adopt special reimbursement methods, amounts, and procedures to encourage the use of high-value products and discourage the use of low-value products, as determined by the Secretary.
(r)(1) The provision of health care services for an eating disorder under subsection (a)(18) may include the following services:(A) Outpatient services for in-person or telehealth care, including partial hospitalization services and intensive outpatient services.
(B) Inpatient services, which shall include residential services only if medically indicated for treatment of a primary diagnosis of an eating disorder.
(2) A dependent provided health care services for an eating disorder under subsection (a)(18) shall be provided such services without regard to—(A) the age of the dependent, except with respect to residential services under paragraph (1)(B), which may be provided only to a dependent who is not eligible for hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395c et seq.); and
(B) except as otherwise specified in paragraph (1)(B), whether the eating disorder is the primary or secondary diagnosis of the dependent.
(3) In this section, the term “eating disorder” has the meaning given the term “feeding and eating disorders” in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (or successor edition), published by the American Psychiatric Association.

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