As a TRICARE provider, you are already supporting our Armed Forces. But are you aware of the “AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU” campaign, and are your contributions being officially recognized? 

The AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU campaign is a Web-based initiative that is sponsored by the Department of Defense (DoD). The goal of this program is to provide an electronic forum for communicating public support directly to the dedicated men and women of our Armed Forces worldwide.

Since the campaign was launched in November 2004, the amount of community and corporate support has increased dramatically. The DoD’s Community Relations and Public Liaison representative says that approximately 700 people visit the site and register their support daily.

Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld recently remarked on the overwhelming support for the program. “America’s support for the Armed Forces has been sustained and deep, spanning every segment of society—from families, schools and local communities, to multinational corporations,” he said. “All are doing their part to demonstrate a profound appreciation for the dedication and sacrifice of these brave men and women—and without a doubt, they deserve it.”

As a TRICARE provider, you make an enormous contribution to the lives of service members and their families. Your role is very important to the health and well-being of our nation’s military family. It is reassuring for active duty service members to know that the health care needs of their families back home, as well as their own upon returning home, will be met.

Visit AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU today to register and join others in this important military support mission. Upon registration, you will receive a “dog tag,” bearing the official campaign logo, that you can wear to help publicize the program.

The Web site also features valuable information and resources about organizations with which you can become involved. You can read stories about what others are doing to encourage our men and women of the Armed Forces, discover ways to lend your support and read messages of appreciation from the troops.

You can also encourage your colleagues and others to support the troops, too. Visit AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU for downloads of official promotional materials that you can print out to help spread the word about this program.  There are many ways you can take part in the AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU effort:

• Display and distribute promotional posters, brochures and other logo items in your office.
• Distribute AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU dog tags within your organization.
• Include AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU themes in your materials, publications, special events, activities, conferences and speeches.

Congress and the Department of Defense (DoD) want to know if the TRICARE program provides sufficient access to the health care services to military members and their families. While much of the care received by the active duty service members, retired service members, eligible family members and other beneficiaries is delivered within military treatment facilities (MTF) or by contracted networks of civilian providers, a substantial amount of health care is also delivered by civilian physicians who are not affiliated with military medicine, especially in those areas of the United States not near a military base.

As such, DoD’s TRICARE Management Activity (TMA) is asking civilian providers across the United States if they are accepting new TRICARE Standard patients and, if not, why not. TMA will randomly survey full-time practicing civilian providers (MDs and DOs) from all 50 United States and the District of Columbia using a combination of mailed and telephonic questionnaires. If selected, the physician’s billing manager will be asked to answer the short survey on behalf of the physician. The survey will take about five minutes to complete. By surveying physicians over a three-year period, TMA hopes to gain a better understanding of the level of TRICARE Standard acceptance among civilian physicians throughout the United States.

The surveys meet the requirement of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2004.

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