Defense Health Agency DHA

The Defense Health Agency was established on October 1, 2013, to consolidate medical functions that the Army, Navy, and Air Force had each run separately, such as purchasing, information technology, and health insurance administration. Laws passed beginning in 2016 then directed it to take over management of the military hospitals and clinics themselves, a transfer completed over several years. It reports to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs and is led by a three-star officer.

DHA administers TRICARE, the health insurance program for about nine and a half million active-duty service members, military retirees, and their families, which pays for care both in military facilities and from civilian providers. It runs the military's hospitals and clinics, including Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and the electronic health record system used across them. It also supports combat casualty care, public health surveillance, and medical readiness.

The military health system is distinct from the Veterans Health Administration, which serves veterans after they leave service, though the two coordinate on records and some shared facilities. The consolidation under DHA has been contentious, with critics arguing it weakened the services' ability to train medical personnel for war, and proposals to cut military medical positions and shift more care to civilian providers continue to be debated in Congress.