Military hospitals, clinics resume billing civilians following 3-year pause
An estimated 137,000 civilians are expected to receive bills for medical care they received at military hospitals and clinics since 2023.
Health Care
Sore throat? Tricare Prime now offers virtual option for urgent care
Nurses will decide whether the symptoms can be treated virtually, and set up the virtual appointments.
Some fresh produce prices to decrease soon for commissary shoppers in the Pacific
Bagged salads will be cheaper starting in April, per an IG report triggered by complaints of cost spikes.
Former DoD official on transgender policy reversal: Decision 'saddens me'
A former Defense Department official says he is "saddened" by a DoD decision to stop enforcing his decision requiring protections for transgender children on military bases, and has concerns about career civilian employees reversing such decisions.
Hiring freeze means longer lines at commissaries ... and could lead to reduced hours
Commissary customers are already starting to see longer lines at the cash register in some locations as the result of the federal civilian hiring freeze, according to a Defense Commissary Agency spokesman.
Federal hiring freeze means reduced hours, even closures, for some military exchanges
Most DoD family and quality-of-life programs aren't exempted from the executive order.
2 Army bases blame Trump hiring freeze for child care cuts, despite DoD exemption
Despite Defense Department guidance that exempts child care workers from President Trump's federal civilian hiring freeze, at least two Army installations have notified parents they’re being forced to make cuts in their child care programs.
It's official: Military exchanges plan to offer online access to veterans by Nov. 11
The expanded online benefit for former service members won't extend to brick-and-mortar stores.
Some military families say doctors dropping out of new Tricare networks
Some military families are already seeing some doctors and other health care providers dropping out of the Tricare network in advance of the change in Tricare contracts this year, according to some complaints submitted to the Department of Defense Military Family Readiness Council.
Federal oversight agency wants the military to screen for gambling addiction
Defense Department officials say its impractical to conduct annual screenings for gambling addictions.
Investing in human performance
The U.S. military should substantially increase its investment in biometric monitoring and feedback, cognitive and physical profiling, and performance nutrition and supplementation.
