Enhancing TRICARE Coverage: Exploring the Role of Public Health in Addressing Gaps and Challenges

Prior to beginning work on this assignment, review Chapter 9 in Introduction to Health Care Management and Chapter 8 in Public Health: What It Is and How It Works.

To serve as an expansion on your discussion, your assignment this week is to highlight areas where public health can fill in gaps regarding TRICARE coverage. For those unfamiliar, TRICARE is the primary insurance carried by active and retired members of the United States armed services. Following the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, many changes to this system have happened. Most changes have resulted in reduced retirement coverage, 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.”

In your paper,

Summarize the TRICARE system and its plans.
Determine areas where local public health offices may be able to help fill voids in recent changes.
For example, at Tyndall Air Force base in Panama City, Florida, routine dental cleanings and screenings now include a charge to cover service members’ families. Public health offices in the area could offer aid by requesting federal grant money to hire dental professionals to perform treatments for service members and their families weekly or biweekly. (Do not use this example in your assignment).
Examine the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s (PPACA) ‘minimum essential coverage’ as cited by TRICARE.
Conclude if you feel those guidelines are sufficient for service members and their families.
Explain your responses in detail and use source material to support your statements.

The TRICARE paper

must three to four double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA StyleLinks to an external site. as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA Formatting for Microsoft WordLinks to an external site. resource.
must include a separate title page with the following in title case:
title of paper in bold font
Space should appear between the title and the rest of the information on the title page.
student’s name
name of institution (The University of Arizona Global Campus)
course name and number
instructor’s name
due date
must include introduction and conclusion paragraphs. Refer to Introductions & ConclusionsLinks to an external site..
Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
For assistance with writing Introductions & ConclusionsLinks to an external site. and Writing a Thesis StatementLinks to an external site., refer to the Writing Center resources.
must use at least five credible sources four of which must be scholarly or governmental sources such as Advanced Internet Search Techniques and What is CRAPPO? in addition to the course text.
The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source.
To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, view Quick and Easy Library ResearchLinks to an external site. tutorial, which introduces the University of Arizona Global Campus Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.
must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your PaperLinks to an external site. guide.
must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center.
Check the APA: Formatting Your References ListLinks to an external site. resource in the Writing Center for specifications.
Carefully review the Grading RubricLinks to an external site. for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.