CA, AZ Payers Boost Care Access for Active-Duty Service Members

Blue Shield of California and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona will help boost access to care for active-duty service members and their families in the TRICARE West Region by supporting a contract awarded to TriWest Healthcare Alliance by the US Department of Defense (DoD).

Through the contract, TriWest will administer DoD’s next-generation TRICARE program, known as “T-5,” for the 26 states in its West Region territory: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

TRICARE is the uniformed services healthcare program for active-duty service members, National Guard and Reserve members, retirees, survivors, their families, and certain former spouses.

In California, active-duty service members and their families will gain access to Blue Shield of California’s provider network. Currently, the health plan is accessible to more than 800,000 eligible veterans in California through a contract between TriWest Healthcare Alliance and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

“We are honored to be part of the TriWest Healthcare Alliance team that is focused on this critical work to support military members and families who have sacrificed so much for our nation,” Paul Markovich, president and chief executive officer of Blue Shield of California, said in a press release.

“Our company’s mission is to ensure all Californians have access to high-quality health care at an affordable price. Serving 1.8 million eligible active-duty military, veterans, and their families in communities across the state, through our collaboration with TriWest, is an important part of achieving our mission.”

Similarly, in Arizona, active-duty service members will be able to access the 39,000 medical professionals in Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona’s provider network. Between 1996 and 2013, TriWest held TRICARE contracts with DoD, which the payer supported by providing its network to Arizona.

“At TriWest, it has been our privilege to serve the healthcare needs of the Veteran and military communities for nearly three decades,” David J. McIntyre, Jr, president and chief executive officer of TriWest Healthcare Alliance, said.

“We are humbled to have the opportunity through this contract to return to our work alongside DoD, and continue our work alongside VA, through which to date the 740,000 medical professionals in the community have provided Veterans with 50 million total appointments, and to partner with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona to serve our nation’s heroes under the T-5 contract,”

TriWest has a federal contract with VA to administer its Community Care Network (CCN) for veterans. Through the VA and DoD contracts, Blue Shield of California and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona will offer their provider networks to active-duty members during their time of service and once they transition to their Veterans Affairs benefits.