House Draft Bill Halts Military Hospital Cuts and Closures
House lawmakers are advancing a draft of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act to block the Department of Defense from reducing services or closing military hospitals and clinics. The legislation would halt downsizing at 41 military treatment facilities, reverse changes already made, and restore services to March 2026 levels. Specific facilities targeted include Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Wright-Patterson AFB’s 88th Medical Group, and Naval Hospital Beaufort. The bill responds to degraded care and lack of transparency following 2017 reforms that shifted patients to private care.
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House draft defense bill would halt cuts and closures of military health facilities
House lawmakers are moving to block the Department of Defense from reducing services or closing military hospitals and clinics, according to a draft of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act under consideration by the Armed Services Committee. The personnel subcommittee's proposal would halt changes to 41 military treatment facilities and require the Defense Health Agency to reverse any steps already taken, restoring personnel and services to levels as of March 3, 2026. The legislation stems from a 2017 reform that transferred hospital management to the DHA and aimed to shift non-active-duty patients to private care, but led to degraded services and inadequate patient volumes for military physician training. Specific facilities targeted for downsizing include Eisenhower Army Medical Center, 88th Medical Group at Wright-Patterson AFB, and Naval Hospital Beaufort. The bill also mandates quarterly congressional updates on any planned changes.
Marine Corps TimesDraft defense bill would halt cuts, closures of military health facilities
House lawmakers are moving to stop the Department of Defense from reducing services or closing military hospitals and clinics, according to draft legislation under consideration by the Armed Services Committee. The personnel subcommittee's draft of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act would limit DoD plans to restructure the military health system and require reversing changes already made to 41 military treatment facilities. The proposals stem from a 2017 reform that transferred hospital management to the Defense Health Agency and aimed to focus on combat readiness, but led to patient reductions that degraded care quality. In late 2024, the DoD reversed course on shedding patients to private care, vowing to bring back 7% of patients by end of 2026. The draft NDAA would specifically block downsizing of Eisenhower Army Medical Center, 88th Medical Group at Wright-Patterson AFB, and Naval Hospital Beaufort, and prevent four other facilities from limiting access to active-duty only. The legislation also requires quarterly congressional updates from DHA on system changes.
Air Force TimesHouse draft defense bill would halt cuts and closures of military health facilities
House lawmakers are moving to block the Department of Defense from reducing services or closing military hospitals and clinics, according to a draft of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act under consideration by the Armed Services Committee. The personnel subcommittee's proposal would limit DoD's restructuring of the military health system and require reversing changes already made to 41 military treatment facilities. The legislation stems from a 2017 reform that transferred hospital management to the Defense Health Agency and aimed to shift non-active-duty patients to private care. However, those reforms led to patient shortages, degraded skills among military physicians, and frustrated Congress due to lack of transparency. The draft NDAA would specifically halt downsizing at three facilities—Eisenhower Army Medical Center, 88th Medical Group at Wright-Patterson AFB, and Naval Hospital Beaufort—and restrict access to active-duty only at four others. The Defense Health Agency would also be required to provide quarterly updates to Congress on any planned changes.
Air Force TimesHouse draft defense bill would halt cuts and closures of military health facilities
House lawmakers are seeking to stop the Department of Defense from reducing services or closing military hospitals and clinics, according to draft legislation under consideration by the Armed Services Committee. The personnel subcommittee's draft of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Bill would limit DoD plans to restructure the military health system and require reversing changes already made to 41 military treatment facilities. The proposals stem from a 2017 reform that transferred hospital management to the Defense Health Agency and aimed to focus on combat readiness, but led to patient reductions and degraded services. The DoD reversed course in late 2024, vowing to bring back patients, but lawmakers remain frustrated by a lack of transparency. The draft NDAA specifically targets downsizing plans for Eisenhower Army Medical Center, the 88th Medical Group at Wright-Patterson AFB, and Naval Hospital Beaufort, and would limit access to active-duty only at several Air Force medical groups.
Marine Corps TimesHouse draft defense bill would halt cuts and closures of military health facilities
House lawmakers are moving to block the Department of Defense from closing or reducing services at military hospitals and clinics, according to a draft of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act under consideration by the Armed Services Committee. The personnel subcommittee's proposal would halt planned changes at 41 military treatment facilities and require the Defense Health Agency to reverse any steps already taken, restoring personnel and services to levels as of March 3, 2026. The legislation stems from a 2017 reform that shifted management to the DHA and aimed to focus on combat readiness, but led to patient reductions and degraded care. Specific facilities targeted for downsizing include Eisenhower Army Medical Center, the 88th Medical Group at Wright-Patterson AFB, and Naval Hospital Beaufort. The bill also mandates quarterly congressional updates on military medical reforms, responding to DoD's lack of transparency regarding facility changes.
Marine Corps Times