The U.S. military has put out a lot of press releases, and made a lot of noise, about its concern for the traumatic brain injuries that our troops are sustaining. Then it comes along and makes a lame-brained decision that negates all the past lip service.
USA Today reported that military health officials are refusing to cover cognitive rehabilitation therapy (CRT) for those with TBI — despite support for the therapy among physicians and politicians.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2011-01-01-brain-injury-insurer_N.htm
The military has based its decision to only cover CRT when it is part of other treatment, not stand-alone billed as a defined medical service, on a 2009 study done by the Tricare Management Agency. That study found that CRT hasn’t been scientifically proven to work.
Some doctors quoted by USA Today said that they believe the military is denying coverage for CRT because the treatment is costly, as much as $50,000 for a four-month program, to offer “one-on-one help for patiens to relearn basic life skills involving language, math and memory.”
The door isn’t totally closed on covering CRT. The policy is under review, according to USA Today, and the military has requested that the National Academy of Sciences’ Institutes of Medicine examine whether CRT is effective in treating TBI patients.
Let’s hope the military does the right thing,
