The Defense Health Agency in 2022 reduced civilian employees’ access to on-base health care facilities, saying federal law prioritizes service members. (Pixabay)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — A pilot program aimed at helping Department of Defense civilian employees find health care from Japanese providers is up and running, according to the DOD.
The program, which aims to connect the civilians with local health care providers without paying large, upfront service fees, among other advantages, began Jan. 1, according to a fact sheet emailed to employees Wednesday by the U.S. Army Civilian Human Resources Agency. The program complements existing health insurance coverage for eligible DOD employees.
Eligible civilian employees in Japan can call 03-3560-8185, toll-free at 0120-983-990, or email DODHealthcareSupport@internationalsos.com for 24/7 healthcare navigation support provided by the program.
A call center includes bilingual staff and nurses to help participants find health care providers, make appointments, secure direct billing and establish reimbursement procedures, according to the fact sheet.
The $4.2 million, DOD-funded program is administered by International SOS Government Services Inc., the primary contractor for the Tricare Overseas Program, the DOD health care plan for service members, their dependents and retirees.
Participating federal employee health benefit plans include: Federal Blue Cross Blue Shield; Foreign Service Benefit Plan; Hawaii Medical Service Association; Government Employees Health Association; and Mail Handlers Benefit Plan.
Non-appropriated fund employees in Japan are eligible for the services under the pilot program if they have elected coverage with Aetna International, according to the fact sheet.
The Defense Health Agency in 2022 reduced civilian employees’ access to on-base health care facilities, saying federal law prioritizes service members’ care at those sites.
The agency limited those employees to space-available appointments at military facilities and directed them instead to seek medical care in the local area.
DOD employees in response cited language barriers, time constraints and incidents of being refused service at Japanese hospitals and having to pay large bills upfront for service.
The human resources agency said the pilot program aims to streamline health care for DOD employees in Japan.
“These financial services will mitigate the burden of civilian employees paying upfront for care and locating a provider on their own,” the fact sheet states.
Employees’ dependents and contractors, however, are not eligible for the pilot program that runs until Sept. 29.
Monthly monitoring will begin in February to “test the feasibility and demand” for the program services, DOD spokesman Joshua Wick told Stars and Stripes in a Nov. 15 email.
At the time, Wick said it was “too early to speculate on future plans,” including whether dependents or DOD contractors will be able to use the service.
