S.Amdt. 6409

This amendment, submitted by Mr. Heinrich, aims to stop and undo specific changes to medical services at various military medical treatment facilities. It seeks to add a section to the bill that prohibits the Secretary of Defense from carrying out "service changes" and requires the reversal of any steps already taken toward those changes.

Purpose and Goals

The amendment intends to protect the scope of medical care and the population served at specific facilities. Its primary goals are:

• Stop Changes: It prohibits the Secretary of Defense from implementing service changes specified in a notification submitted on March 4, 2026.
• Restore Services: It requires the Secretary of Defense to restore personnel and clinical services to the levels that existed as of March 3, 2026, within 30 days of the Act's enactment.
• Accountability: It requires the Secretary to submit a report to the House and Senate Committees on Armed Services within one year detailing the actions taken to reverse these changes.

What it Aims to Change

The amendment targets a wide variety of service changes, including:

• Facility Conversions: Preventing the conversion of inpatient hospitals to outpatient ambulatory care centers at locations such as Eisenhower Army Medical Center, 88th Medical Group, and Naval Hospital Beaufort.
• Service Discontinuation: Stopping the removal of emergency room, operating, inpatient, pediatric cardiology, radiology, mammography, and labor and delivery services.
• Access Restrictions: Blocking efforts to limit facility access only to active duty members and their dependents at numerous Air Force and Space Force bases.
• Contract Terminations: Preventing the discontinuation of contracts for chiropractic and nutrition services at several locations.
• Manpower: Stopping the realignment of medical manpower to other facilities.