ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

The Army is transforming medical care to meet soldiers and families where they are, said Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland, director of the Defense Health Agency.

“We all deserve good care, and we all have an expectation that we meet people where you're at,” Crosland said Oct. 15 during a warfighter and family forum focused on transforming medical care at the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2024 Annual Meeting and Exposition. “What I mean by that is better access and convenient care that fits in your actual lives.” 

Military retirees and eligible beneficiaries who use Tricare can now enroll in or make changes to their health care coverage.

This year’s Tricare open season begins Nov. 13 and ends Dec. 12. During that time, beneficiaries who use Tricare Prime or Tricare Select can choose to stay on their plan, enroll in a plan or change plans. Any changes will go into effect on Jan. 1.

The Army’s 11,000-member medical force is focused on remaining agile and adaptive, keeping pace with other Army modernization efforts, Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. R. Scott Dingle said in testimony before a Senate subcommittee.

Appearing March 7 alongside other military medical leaders, Dingle said bluntly, “There is no second-place in war.”

Military retirees and eligible beneficiaries who use Tricare will soon be able to enroll in or make changes to their health care coverage.

This year’s Tricare open season begins Nov. 14 and ends Dec. 13. During that time, beneficiaries who use Tricare Prime or Tricare Select can choose to stay on their plan, enroll in a plan or change plans. Any changes will go into effect on Jan. 1.

The Army has a lot to learn and a lot to develop to prepare for large-scale, high-casualty and remote wars. 

In an Oct. 11 Warriors Corner discussion at the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2022 Annual Meeting and Exposition, medical leaders said they are sharply focused on caring for future casualties on distant battlefields from which quick evacuation isn’t possible.  

Individual readiness is the key to preparing medical soldiers for a complex, joint operating environment, the Army’s top medical officer said.

The Army’s medical professionals are already working with their fellow service members, said Lt. Gen. R. Scott Dingle, the Army surgeon general and commander of Army Medical Command. That interoperability was evident when soldiers worked side by side with Navy and Air Force medical personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Army surgeon general and the senior enlisted leader for Army Medical Command will speak at the next Association of the U.S. Army webinar.

Part of AUSA’s Noon Report series, “Pivot to Readiness with Army Medicine” will feature Lt. Gen. R. Scott Dingle and Command Sgt. Maj. Diamond Hough.

Soldiers now have another option for getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

Novavax is being offered by the Army and DoD after the Food and Drug Administration on Aug. 19 updated its emergency use authorization for the vaccine to include individuals aged 12 and older.

Preparing for the tough and more lethal battlefields of the future requires today’s Army medical community to look to its schoolhouses and its logistics and research commands, a panel of experts said at an event hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army.