112 STAT. 2058 PUBLIC LAW 105-261—OCT. 17, 1998 health care services provided between October 1, 1998, and July 1, 1999. (d) DEFINITION. —In this section, the term "administering Secretaries" has the meaning given that term in section 1072(3) of title 10, United States Code. Subtitle B—TRICARE Program SEC. 711. PAYMENT OF CLAIMS FOR PROVISION OF HEALTH CARE UNDER THE TRICARE PROGRAM FOR WHICH A THIRD PARTY MAY BE LIABLE. (a) IN GENERAL. — (1) Chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1095a the following new section:
- § 1095b. TRICARE program: contraetor payment of certain
claims "(a) PAYMENT OF CLAIMS.—(1) The Secretary of Defense may authorize a contractor under the TRICARE program to pay a claim described in paragraph (2) before seeking to recover from a thirdparty payer the costs incurred by the contractor to provide health care services that are the basis of the claim to a beneficiary under such program. "(2) A claim under this paragraph is a claim— "(A) that is submitted to the contractor by a provider under the TRICARE program for payment for services for health care provided to a covered beneficiary; and "(B) that is identified by the contractor as a claim for which a third-party payer may be liable. "(b) RECOVERY FROM THIRD-PARTY PAYERS.^A contractor for the provision of health care services under the TRICARE program that pays a claim described in subsection (a)(2) shall have the right to collect from the third-party payer the costs incurred by such contractor on behalf of the covered beneficiary. The contractor shall have the same right to collect such costs under this subsection as the right of the United States to collect costs under section 1095 of this title. "(c) DEFINITION OF THIRD-PARTY PAYER.— In this section, the term 'third-party payer' has the meaning given that term in section 1095(h) of this title, except that such term excludes primary medical insurers.". (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT. —The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 1095a the following new item: "1095b. TRICARE program: contractor payment of certain claims.". SEC. 712. TRICARE PRIME AUTOMATIC ENROLLMENTS AND RETIREE PAYMENT OPTIONS. (a) PROCEDURES.— (1) Chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1097 the following new section:
- § 1097a. TRICARE Prime: automatic enrollments; payment
options "(a) AUTOMATIC ENROLLMENT OF CERTAIN DEPENDENTS. —Each dependent of a member of the uniformed services in grade E4
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