Latest news with #TricarePrime
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Brighton Marine Inc. Announces $10 Million Investment to Help Prevent and End Veteran Homelessness
BRIGHTON, Mass., May 07, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today Brighton Marine, a nonprofit operating the US Family Health Plan of Southern New England, a Tricare Prime health plan, in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Connecticut, announced its intention to expand its existing housing and programming services by investing $10 million over the next five years in programs to prevent and end Veteran homelessness. The announcement was made by Brighton Marine CEO Rosye B. Cloud at an event honoring longtime employee Derrick Hassell, who has served Brighton's Veterans and the broader community for over 47 years, by renaming its first Veterans Housing Building in his honor. "Today, we honor an employee that embodies our values and demonstrates care and dignity to every resident and health plan beneficiary we serve," said Cloud. "The resources we will invest over the next five years will help prevent housing insecurity and address the immediate needs of Veterans experiencing homelessness." The commitment is part of Brighton Marine's Vision 2030 initiative, which was originally announced at the 2024 National Coalition for Homeless Veterans conference. The funds will be used to support: Brighton Marine's master leasing program in Massachusetts , which makes affordable housing more accessible to Veterans and their families who might not qualify for other housing programs. Emergency assistance through Brighton Marine's Empowerment Fund , which provides emergency funding to help prevent eviction or financial distress that could lead to homelessness. The establishment of a prevention hub in Washington, D.C. to serve as an incubator for innovative programs and ideas that can help address Veteran homelessness and housing insecurity nationwide. "No veteran should ever be without a safe, stable place to call home or the services that they need," said Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, who also spoke at the event. "That's why in Massachusetts, we have prioritized ending Veteran homelessness for good and expanding resources and services for our heroes. Organizations like Brighton Marine are critical partners in this work, and we thank them for their investment to create this beautiful campus that will provide essential housing, health care and other services for local veterans." According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Annual Homelessness Assessment Report, as of December 2024 there were 550 Veterans experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts. Homelessness can cause a myriad of health concerns, ranging from a lack of access to basic hygiene and increased risk of contracting infectious disease to more profound barriers to accessing vital health care and other services.
Business Wire
07-05-2025
- Health
- Business Wire
Brighton Marine Inc. Announces $10 Million Investment to Help Prevent and End Veteran Homelessness
BRIGHTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today Brighton Marine, a nonprofit operating the US Family Health Plan of Southern New England, a Tricare Prime health plan, in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Connecticut, announced its intention to expand its existing housing and programming services by investing $10 million over the next five years in programs to prevent and end Veteran homelessness. The announcement was made by Brighton Marine CEO Rosye B. Cloud at an event honoring longtime employee Derrick Hassell, who has served Brighton's Veterans and the broader community for over 47 years, by renaming its first Veterans Housing Building in his honor. 'Today, we honor an employee that embodies our values and demonstrates care and dignity to every resident and health plan beneficiary we serve,' said Cloud. 'The resources we will invest over the next five years will help prevent housing insecurity and address the immediate needs of Veterans experiencing homelessness.' The commitment is part of Brighton Marine's Vision 2030 initiative, which was originally announced at the 2024 National Coalition for Homeless Veterans conference. The funds will be used to support: Brighton Marine's master leasing program in Massachusetts, which makes affordable housing more accessible to Veterans and their families who might not qualify for other housing programs. Emergency assistance through Brighton Marine's Empowerment Fund, which provides emergency funding to help prevent eviction or financial distress that could lead to homelessness. The establishment of a prevention hub in Washington, D.C. to serve as an incubator for innovative programs and ideas that can help address Veteran homelessness and housing insecurity nationwide. "No veteran should ever be without a safe, stable place to call home or the services that they need,' said Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, who also spoke at the event. 'That's why in Massachusetts, we have prioritized ending Veteran homelessness for good and expanding resources and services for our heroes. Organizations like Brighton Marine are critical partners in this work, and we thank them for their investment to create this beautiful campus that will provide essential housing, health care and other services for local veterans." According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Annual Homelessness Assessment Report, as of December 2024 there were 550 Veterans experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts. Homelessness can cause a myriad of health concerns, ranging from a lack of access to basic hygiene and increased risk of contracting infectious disease to more profound barriers to accessing vital health care and other services. "Brighton Marine has long understood that housing is health care,' said Massachusetts Veterans Services Secretary Jon Santiago. 'This bold investment, made possible through the US Family Health Plan, reflects a deep commitment to meeting veterans where they are—with flexible, innovative solutions that address both immediate needs and long-term stability. It's exactly the kind of partnership that aligns with our End Veteran Homelessness campaign and our broader goal of making veteran homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring." Supported by its innovative social enterprise business model, Brighton Marine is investing in prevention programs and resources that stop homelessness before it starts and improves long-term health outcomes for Veterans. They partner with the federal government, state and local leaders, and other community organizations to further their mission to provide healthcare, housing and hope to Veterans and their families. More About Brighton Marine Brighton Marine was founded in 1983 in Brighton, MA. when the federal government decided to close many hospitals within the public hospital system, including the Brighton Marine hospital, which provided vital healthcare needs to local veterans. The organization, which eventually became Brighton Marine, was then called the Allston-Brighton Aid and Health Group. Today, Brighton Marine continues through its core programs and services: Healthcare: Brighton Marine operates the Uniformed Services Family Health Plan of Southern New England and its Brighton campus is home to 10 community health organizations which collectively serve over 15,000 Veterans, active-duty service members and their families. Housing: Brighton Marine campus provides affordable housing on campus through The Residences, a six-story multi-family housing complex built in 2020 with more than 100 units of affordable housing with preference to Veterans and their families and the newly re-named Derrick Hassell Veterans Living community. In 2025 it will also launch a master leasing initiative in Massachusetts. Financial Support: Brighton Marine's Empowerment Fund was endowed in 2015 to help Veterans with costs associated with obtaining housing such as providing security deposits, clearing past utility debt, and covering application and broker fees that are often not covered by programs like the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Military families get another extension to ease Tricare West problems
Military families enrolled in Tricare Prime in the West Region have an extra two months, through June 30, to get specialty care without having to get approval from the contractor, TriWest Healthcare Alliance. It's the second time Defense Health Agency officials have extended their referral approval waiver, which was first announced in late January. The waiver is a move to help ease the problems families have been experiencing since TriWest took over the contract for the West Region at the start of the year. One issue was that Tricare Prime families haven't been able to get referrals approved by TriWest, which is traditionally required before they can get specialty care. 'After assessing the current state of referrals, DHA has decided to extend the referral approval waiver for many beneficiaries,' Richard Hart, division chief of health plan design for Tricare, said in DHA's announcement of the extension. Advocates question how much the extension of the referral approval waiver will help military families and medical providers. Some families aren't able to get specialty care even with a referral from their Tricare Prime primary care manager because of the difficulty finding a specialist who will accept Tricare. 'I don't think [the extension] is going to make a significant difference, because it doesn't address the root problem,' said Dr. Kristi Cabiao, CEO and president of Mission Alpha Advocacy, an organization that works to improve the quality of life for military families within the Exceptional Family Member Program. 'Families are still going to struggle finding providers who will take Tricare.' 'Providers haven't received payment. They don't trust the system. They're either going to minimize the number of Tricare patients they take, or drop Tricare,' she said. 'Families are facing significant barriers.' Many providers still don't have contracts to work with TriWest, Cabiao said. And the lack of payment has caused such financial difficulties that some medical providers have had no choice but to permanently shut down. 'What is the projected timeline for resolution? Have we identified the root of the problem?' Cabiao asked. During a conference March 31, a Defense Health Agency official said he expected the problems would be resolved in a couple of months. In the meantime, Cabiao suggested, one solution would be to have an additional open enrollment period now. 'It's the Tricare Prime people who are really struggling. If [DHA] opened up enrollment so they could switch to Tricare Select, at least they'd get away from this mess. They'd have co-pays, but would have access to specialists,' she said. Tricare snafus cause medical shortfalls for military families Certain military hospitals and clinics have returned to normal referral processing through TriWest, as the company works to improve its referral processing system, DHA officials said. Beneficiaries whose primary care managers are located at these facilities will have their referrals processed by TriWest: California: Naval Medical Center San Diego, Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms, Naval Health Clinic Lemoore and Army Health Clinic Presidio of Monterey Colorado: Air Force Academy clinics, Peterson Air Force Base clinic, Buckley AFB clinic, Fort Carson's Evans Army Community Hospital and Schriever Space Force Base clinic Nebraska: Offutt AFB clinic Nevada: Nellis AFB's Mike O'Callaghan Military Medical Center Texas: Brooke Army Medical Center Washington: Madigan Army Medical Center, Naval Hospital Bremerton and Naval Health Clinic Oak Harbor
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Beneficiaries Outside Drive Time Standard No Longer Need Waiver to Stay in Tricare Prime
Beneficiaries who live within 100 miles of a military hospital or clinic but at least 30 minutes away by car no longer need to request a waiver to stay with Tricare Prime, the Defense Department's managed-care health program. Under the next-generation Tricare contracts that went into effect Jan. 1, patients who move to a location outside that access standard for primary care can choose to receive care at the DoD facility or, if they already receive care there, keep their primary care manager without seeking a waiver. According to the Defense Health Agency, beneficiaries who meet the criteria will receive a letter notifying them that their homes are outside the access-standard measure, but if they don't respond, they will remain with their current primary care managers, or PCMs, at their military treatment facility. Read Next: Hampton VA Grapples with Staff Shortages, Watchdog Report Finds Those who want to change primary care managers, however, can do so by following instructions in the letter. "This new approach will help prevent unnecessary coverage gaps and ensure families keep access to their PCMs," said Shane Pham, a DHA management and program analyst, in a news release last week. The change was among the requirements of the new contracts, known as T-5, which were issued to TriWest Healthcare Alliance in the Tricare West Region and Humana Military in the Tricare East Region on Jan. 1. The allowance also coincides with an effort at the Defense Department to bring family members and military retirees back into military hospitals and clinics to ensure that the facilities have enough patients to maintain provider proficiency and curb the rising costs of private-sector care. According to a memo issued Dec. 6, 2023, by then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, the DoD hopes to increase the number of patients seen at military treatment facilities by 7% by the end of 2026, or a total of 3.3 million patients. In a speech to uniformed and civilian federal health officials in March, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. Stephen Ferrara said the DoD is pursuing the efforts in order to create a high-functioning medical system. "The last thing that a family or that service member needs is to be worried about whether their family is getting adequate or high-quality care," Ferrara said. According to Tricare officials, the decision to drop the drive time waiver was made based on patient satisfaction surveys showing that many beneficiaries are willing to drive more than 30 minutes to keep their primary care doctors and would prefer not to switch physicians. If a Tricare Prime beneficiary moves more than 30 minutes from their PCM, their Tricare regional contract will contact all adult patients in the household by phone, text, mail and email to provide options for continuing their health coverage. Patients will have 90 days to decide what to do. If they now live more than 30 minutes but less than 100 miles away, they won't have to do anything to keep their Tricare Prime coverage and primary care manager. Or they can switch health plans -- to Tricare Select or the U.S. Family Health Program, if it is available in their region. If patients have moved more than 100 miles away from a Tricare Prime Service Area, they must decide within 90 days to switch to another plan. They will be dropped from Tricare Prime after 90 days and will be able to be seen at a military hospital or clinic only if space is available. Defense Health Agency officials urge all beneficiaries to ensure that their addresses are updated in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, or DEERS, and they also should check the email addresses and phone numbers the DoD has on file for accuracy. Since the contract changeover Jan. 1, Tricare providers and patients have experienced disruptions to patient care and payments, resulting in patients having to switch providers or delay care and prompting providers to take out loans to pay staff while they wait for reimbursements. The problems have caught the eye of lawmakers on Capitol Hill as well as military leadership, including the services' top enlisted leaders. During a hearing last week before the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees military construction, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy James Honea said he personally has received complaints from providers about the reimbursement delays. "The Defense Health Agency to their credit has worked diligently with me, with the contract, to have those bills paid as quickly as possible. But as we are continuing through this transformation, we are finding more and more places that we are challenged [to find] health care providers," Honea said. Last month, Republican Reps. John Rutherford and Aaron Bean of Florida wrote to David Smith, the acting DHA director, asking him to explain the delays and fix them. "It would be unacceptable for military families to lose access to critical care coverage. This crisis must be immediately rectified," they wrote. Related: Tricare Again Extends Deadlines for Beneficiaries in Western US After Contract Change
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Waiver, payment deadlines extended for Tricare West Region
Defense Health Agency officials have extended three key deadlines for beneficiaries in the Tricare West Region by another month, giving military families some flexibility to get the care they need as the transition to TriWest Healthcare Alliance continues. Beneficiaries now have until April 30 to use referral approval waivers and point-of-service waivers and provide payment information to TriWest, the agency announced Thursday. The previous deadline was March 31. Officials have extended these deadlines as West Region beneficiaries and health care providers have reported a number of problems with the contract transition from Health Net Federal Services to TriWest. TriWest officials have said they're taking steps to improve their online portals and staffed up their customer call centers to provide more service to beneficiaries and health care providers. Referral approval waiver: This allows Tricare Prime beneficiaries to seek care with Tricare-approved specialists, with referrals from their primary care managers, without having to go through TriWest to get those referrals approved. Beneficiaries may seek outpatient care from these specialists with a copy of their primary care manager's referral dated between Jan. 1 and April 30 and a copy of the Tricare West Region referral/authorization waiver approval letter. Some families have told Military Times that even with the referral waiver, some specialists won't see Tricare patients because of various issues they've been having. The referral waiver doesn't apply to inpatient care, applied behavior analysis, Autism Care Demonstration services, laboratory-developed tests and Extended Care Health Option services. Point-of-service waiver: This allows Tricare Prime beneficiaries in the West Region to continue seeing providers who may no longer be in the Tricare network after the contract transition. The provider must be Tricare authorized, which means they meet certain requirements. Those using the point-of-service waiver through April 30 will pay regular Tricare Prime co-pays, instead of the more costly point-of-service fees. Using the point-of-service option doesn't require a referral. Tricare snafus cause medical shortfalls for military families Payment extension: The extension for setting up payments applies to certain beneficiaries in the West Region who pay fees for their Tricare Prime or Tricare Select plans and those who are enrolled in a premium-based plan, including Tricare Young Adult, Tricare Reserve Select and Tricare Retired Reserve. Those who paid their fees to the previous contractor using electronic funds transfer, credit card or debit card must contact TriWest to set up the payment using one of those methods. Some beneficiaries have experienced difficulties setting up those payments through the TriWest portal and customer call center, Military Times previously reported. Tricare officials have said those who paid previously by allotment didn't have to take action because their allotment would be automatically ported over. Some beneficiaries told Military Times this didn't happen for them. Defense Health Agency officials, who have extended this deadline several times, warn beneficiaries could be disenrolled from Tricare, retroactive to Jan. 1, if they fail to set up their payments by April 30.
