01/24/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/24/2023 12:37
Washington, D.C. - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to the Department of Defense (DoD), raising concerns about the decision to stop providing care to civilians at U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka. Senator Warren is raising questions about what services are being provided to help support the transition of care and when space to provide care to civilians might open up again.
In September 2022, the U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka announced it would cease to provide care to DoD contractors and other civilians, leaving around 4,000 individuals uncertain about their access to healthcare. It is also not clear whether or not the Defense Health Agency (DHA) has provided these individuals with the proper support and advice needed to transition their healthcare to an off-base location.
"Civilians have expressed concerns they will lose access to prescriptions and be unable to independently navigate Japan's healthcare system without DoD's assistance," wrote Senator Warren. "They also express concern that Japanese healthcare facilities and providers will be able to turn them away if they do not have sufficient resources, including language support, to treat these American civilians."
In December 2022, Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023, requiring the Secretary of Defense to "notify Congress in advance if there is a modification to 'the scope of medical care provided at a military medical treatment facility, or the beneficiary population served at the facility.'"
"These provisions went into effect when President Biden signed the NDAA on December 23, 2022, and given the changes put in place at the Yokosuka facility, I expect to receive this formal notice and this transition plan as rapidly as possible so that affected civilians receive the support they need after this loss of care," concluded Senator Warren.
Senator Warren is asking that all questions about what steps DHA is taking to help smooth the transition and support civilian shortfalls be answered no later than February 6, 2023.
Senator Warren has long worked to ensure affordable access to healthcare for all:
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