§ 1095b. TRICARE program: contractor 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 third-party 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.
(b)
Recovery From Third-Party Payers.—
The United States shall have the same right to collect charges related to claims described in subsection (a) as charges for claims 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.