The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that no contract for managed care support under the TRICARE program includes any requirement that a managed care support contractor require a primary care or specialty care provider to obtain prior authorization before referring a patient to a specialty care provider that is part of the network of health care providers or institutions of the contractor.

(Added Pub. L. 106–398, § 1 [[div. A], title VII, § 728(a)(1)], Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1654, 1654A–189.)

Effective Date Pub. L. 106–398, § 1 [[div. A], title VII, § 728(c)], Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1654, 1654A–189, provided that:

“

Section 1095f of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall apply with respect to a TRICARE managed care support contract entered into by the Department of Defense after the date of the enactment of this Act [

Oct. 30, 2000].”