Contractor Watchdog May Relax Audits of TRICARE Hospitals

The Labor Department’s federal contractor watchdog dipped its toe into the rulemaking pool for the first time under President Donald Trump’s administration.

The agency’s plan, published May 9 in the spring 2018 regulatory agenda, features a single proposed rule that “would include limiting and otherwise altering the obligations of TRICARE and other healthcare providers” under the anti-discrimination laws the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs enforces.

The proposal, expected by April 2019, will likely pique the interest of longtime OFCCP watchers, as a battle over whether the agency has authority over TRICARE medical providers stretches back nearly a decade. It ...