High U.S. officers within the Washington space have obtained preferential remedy from a little-known well being care program run by the army, probably jeopardizing look after different sufferers together with active-duty service members, in line with Pentagon investigators.
White Home officers, senior army and different nationwide safety leaders, retired army officers, and members of the family have all benefited. The Washington elite may soar the road when filling prescriptions, e book appointments by means of particular name facilities, and obtain selection parking spots and escorts at army hospitals and different amenities, together with Walter Reed Nationwide Navy Medical Middle in Bethesda, Maryland, in line with the Pentagon’s inspector common.
Via a unit on the White Home, authorities personnel have been routinely allowed to obtain remedy below aliases, offering no residence tackle or insurance coverage info. For a few of them, the care was free, as Walter Reed had no technique to invoice for it or waived prices.
The so-called govt drugs program was described in a report the Pentagon’s inspector common launched in January. The investigation drew in depth media consideration for spotlighting a historical past of unfastened prescribing practices and poor controls of highly effective medicine together with opioids within the White Home Medical Unit, a army outfit that attends to the president, vice chairman, and others within the White Home compound.
However the White Home Medical Unit is simply the tip of the broader govt drugs program, supposed to supply VIP remedy to senior authorities and army officers. Although this system is supposed largely to accommodate prime officers’ busy schedules, the privileges have adopted many sufferers into retirement. Based on information from late 2019 and early 2020, the IG’s report stated, 80% of the chief drugs inhabitants within the nationwide capital area have been army retirees and members of their households.
Some amenities “supplied entry to look after govt drugs sufferers over active-duty army sufferers that had acute wants,” in line with the report, which added that prioritizing medical care by seniority slightly than medical want “elevated the chance to the well being and security of non‑govt common affected person inhabitants.”
A lot of the report was written in previous tense, leaving unclear whether or not all of the practices it described proceed. Earlier than the report was made public, a draft was below assessment by the White Home Medical Unit for greater than three years — from Could 2020, when Donald Trump was in workplace, to final July. The delay isn’t defined within the report, and White Home spokespeople didn’t reply to questions for this text.
A spokesperson for the inspector common’s workplace, Deputy Assistant Inspector Basic Reishia Kelsey, declined to elaborate on the report. A spokesperson for the Pentagon, James P. Adams, additionally declined to remark.
In a response included within the inspector common’s report, a Pentagon official stated there have been “new procedures already put in place by the White Home Medical Unit.” The report didn’t element these modifications.
At Walter Reed, this system is offered to Cupboard members; members of Congress; Supreme Courtroom justices; active-duty and retired generals and flag officers and their beneficiaries; members of the Senior Govt Service who retired from the army; secretaries, deputy secretaries, and assistant secretaries of the Division of Protection and army departments; sure overseas army officers; and Medal of Honor recipients.
Walter Reed’s govt drugs program caters to the “time, privateness, and safety calls for” of leaders’ jobs, the hospital says on its web site. The IG report makes clear that this system has, at instances, supplied extraordinary privileges to the federal government’s most elite officers.
For instance, one unnamed govt drugs affected person requested to have a prescription for an unspecified “managed medicine” refilled two weeks early — and complained when pharmacy employees at Fort Belvoir Neighborhood Hospital stated that wasn’t allowed.
Hospital leaders advised hospital employees to fill the prescription as requested. Based on the report, the employees stated the duty required an estimated 30 hours of additional work.
Managed medicines are topic to abuse, and a few, corresponding to opioids, could be addictive. Protection Division well being coverage requires minimizing using opioids and prescribing them solely when indicated.
A spokesperson for the Fort Belvoir hospital, now generally known as Alexander T. Augusta Navy Medical Middle, stated each affected person is seen by means of the identical lens and handled with the care they deserve.
The spokesperson, Reese Brown, stated the ability exhibits army deference to prime officers on account of their rank. For instance, they don’t have to take a seat with the final inhabitants of sufferers.
The ability’s web site mentions an “Govt Medication Well being & Wellness Clinic” for licensed sufferers, together with eligible members of the family.
Brown stated he was unaware of the inspector common’s account of the prescription refill and had no details about it.
The report stated that at one unidentified pharmacy website, “all pharmacy employees members expressed frustration in regards to the prioritization and filling of govt drugs prescriptions. This prioritization of govt drugs prescriptions diverted the pharmacist from filling prescriptions for sufferers identified with circumstances which can be extra pressing.”
Govt drugs companies are additionally supplied on the DiLorenzo Tricare Well being Clinic on the Pentagon, Fort McNair Army Well being Clinic, and Andrew Rader U.S. Army Well being Clinic, the report stated.
The inspector common really useful the Division of Protection take steps corresponding to establishing controls for billing nonmilitary senior officers for outpatient companies. The assistant secretary of protection for well being affairs agreed however stated the division would take into account “the historic practices of the White Home Medical Unit, the DoD’s well being care help for non‑army U.S. Authorities senior officers, and the necessity for strict safety protocols to guard the well being and security of White Home principals.”
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Chaseedaw Giles, KFF Well being News’ digital technique & viewers engagement editor, contributed to this report.
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(KFF Well being News, previously generally known as Kaiser Well being News (KHN), is a nationwide newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about well being points and is among the core working applications of KFF — the impartial supply for well being coverage analysis, polling and journalism.)
©2024 KFF Well being News. Distributed by Tribune Content material Company, LLC.
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