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Sorry, I did not understand your question.I can tell you that Tricare Management Activity, (TMA, also known as just Tricare), is in the process of implementing a Champus Maximum Allowable Charges, (CMAC), on Mexico and Costa Rico. The new CMAC will be based on a WORLD BANK Purchase Power Parity, (PPP), that takes an average of the cost of goods and services and then compares that average to what $1.00 would buy in that country vs. the cost to buy the same goods or services in the US. Currently the Philippines and Panama ae under this PPP based CMAC.

Unfortunately,when you use an average, you get half of the cost exceeding the arbitrary cap, (CMAC), and half being lower. We are finding that most of our reimbursement claims are less than the actual cost, (minus our co-pays), thus we lose thousands of dollars on our medical care. TMA refuses to adjust the CMAC or to even discuss it with us.

I do believe that the “closed network” will be coming to most countries where there are large retiree populations. The effect of it will be to decrease the Tricare cost artificially by denying care to retirees unable to go to the areas where the closed network is established. This will show up as a “cost savings” report to Congress, but it will not be a legitimate cost savings, instead it will be a denial of access cost savings.