CRS INSIGHT
Military Medical Care: Mitigating Impacts From
Medical Unit Deployments
Updated November 21, 2018 (IN10999)
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Bryce H. P. Mendez
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Bryce H. P. Mendez, Analyst in Defense Health Care Policy (bhmendez@crs.loc.gov, 7-1577)
Contingency and peacetime missions consistently require temporary reassignment of military medical personnel from
military treatment facilities (MTF) to a deployable medical unit. In certain instances, MTF services may be limited in
times of war, operations other than war, natural disasters, or other contingencies. This restriction is not uncommon.
Notwithstanding these circumstances, the Department of Defense (DOD) is required to provide statutory health benefits
to its eligible beneficiaries by mitigating fluctuations in MTF services. Chapter 55
of Title 10, U.S. Code, specifies
health care entitlements for military personnel, retirees, and their families. The delivery of those benefits can vary based
on current or projected military operations and the availability of medical personnel in military hospitals and clinics.
(MTFs).
There are two current examples of MTF services being, or soon to be, limited as a result of military medical
deployments.
On August 23, 2018, DOD announced the establishment of Operation Enduring Promise (OEP), a humanitarian
mission to Central America and South America. OEP primarily involves the deployment of the U.S. Navy's
hospital ship, USNS COMFORT, which is staffed by over 900 personnel from Naval Medical Center Portsmouth
or its subordinate clinics. USNS Comfort departed Norfolk, Virginia on October 11, 2018 and is scheduled to
return in January 2019.
On November 1, 2018, DOD approved a request for military assets (e.g., planning, engineering, transportation,
logistics, and medical) in support of the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border
Protection (CBP). Military medical personnel assigned to numerous U.S. Army MTFs will be reassigned to
support deployable medical units tasked to support CBP.
To understand the impact of these deployments on MTF services, it may be helpful to first consider how the Military
Health System (MHS) delivers care and staffs its MTFs.
How is health care delivered in the Military Health System?
The MHS delivers health care to 9.4 million beneficiaries (i.e., active duty servicemembers, eligible members of the
