6 MDG clinic enforces DoD policy Published Aug. 14, 2009 By Sonia M. Rosario 6th MDG TPC Program Manager MacDill AFB, Fla. -- The Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1986 established the Third Party Collections Program. Under this program, Military Medical Treatment Facilities are mandated to bill health insurance carriers for the cost of medical care provided to active duty family members, retirees and family members who are covered by other health insurance. The 6th Medical Group Clinic must comply with this law and needs your help for continued program success. You will be asked if you have other health insurance at every point of service when you use services at the 6 MDG. If you are covered by other health insurance or have a Medicare supplement, we need your insurance information. The obligation to pay medical care costs applies only to the insurance carrier. The 6 MDG is entitled the same benefits for its health care services that any other health care provider would receive. Your insurance company will pay benefits directly to the 6 MDG and you will not be billed or be responsible for any uncollected charges. The benefits for the patient include no co pay, deductible or any patient responsibility charges indicated in the Explanation of Benefits received from the insurance company. This means you may pay less out of pocket expense when later seeking health care through a civilian provider. Monies collected under this program are deposited directly into the 6 MDG Operations and Management account. In Fiscal Year 2008, $4.4 million was collected which was 10 percent of the 6 MDG Operations and Management budget. The $4.4 million was used to fund the following: medical staff contracts ($2,138), non-medical supplies ($1,618), staff training ($325K) and patient travel ($349K). The ultimate goal is to provide enhanced health care services for you - the patient. In most cases, the 6 MDG is no different than civilian health care providers who need insurance information at each clinic visit. To collect benefits covered by your other health insurance, we must have the information that appears on your other health insurance identification card. Please have this card with you when you visit the 6 MDG Clinic. If you are a dependant of an active duty member, retiree or family member of a retiree, you will be asked to fill out a DD Form 2569, Record of Other Health Insurance, regardless of whether you have other health insurance. The form will be scanned and maintained in an electronic system. The form must be updated annually unless there are changes to your information. The collection of other health insurance information is a DoD requirement. We ppreciate your assistance in helping the 6 MDG Clinic keep up with changing trends and creating a healthcare environment we can all be proud of. For further assistance with the Third Party Collections Program, please stop by the TPC office located in the 2nd floor, room C-281 or call our TPC representatives at 827-9150 or 827-9151.