preview

Tricare Health Plans

Better Essays

TRICARE Health Plans is the replacement for CHAMPUS which was the provider of health care services for military dependents. TRICARE not only replaced CHAMPUS but its purpose was also to facilitate members with access to better health care. Unfortunately, TRICARE has gone through many changes and upheavals since its inception in 1997. First, they began by dividing the company into regions. Each member was placed into a region based on where the military member was stationed. If the member was stationed in Maryland then his family belonged to the East Region. Unfortunately, there were many problems with this plan. First, some military members and their families did not live in the same regions. Therefore, the families either had to travel …show more content…

TRICARE has had many learning curves to overcome. In the beginning, the contractors were not prepared to handle the amount of members that serve the United States Military. Also, they were unprepared for the multitude of health issues that were plaguing the families. One such issue was the Gulf War Syndrome which the United States Government was attempting to cover up. Over the years, their service to members has improved but has a long way to go in order to compete with some of the private health insurance plans that are available. Many families who have major health issues find it more convenient to pay for private health insurance. This also allows for those families to get care without going through the bureaucracy and red tape that surrounds TRICARE 's policies.
However, not all has been lost. TRICARE is striving to succeed in providing optimal care for their members. They have taken the initiative to enact new policies and benefits that allow for members to see many private and local physicians and dentists. This has had a great impact on how TRICARE is being perceived not only by their members but also the surrounding communities.
Organization Design
According to Shortell and Kaluzny (2003), organization design is the way the building

Get Access