Retirees Not Near Bases to Lose TRICARE Prime Oct. 1 The military's managed-care option -- TRICARE Prime -- will be ended Oct. 1 for retirees, their family members and for military survivors who reside more than 40 miles from a military treatment facility or from a base closure site, TRICARE Management Activity announced Wednesday. Most of these 171,400 beneficiaries will need to shift health coverage from Prime to TRICARE Standard, the military's fee-for-service health insurance option.  For beneficiaries who use more than preventive health care during the year, the shift will mean higher out-of-pocket costs. Continue reading →

Tricare-for-Life Retirees need to understand a new decision made by the Deprtment of Defense.    After October 1, 2013, Tricare-for -Life retirees who formerly went to VA hospitals for serviceable and non-service conditions, will now be charged for  non-servicable medical conditions. You will have to pay 80% of the costs of those services at the VA hospital.  Tricare will pay for 20% and you will be charged the remaining 80%.  For treatment for non-service related conditions go to a Medicare contracted hospital.  At the Medicare contracted hospital Medicare will pay the 80% and Tricare-for-Life will pay the 20%.

The Department of Defense announced in September that the rules are changing because they “discovered” that for 10 years the VA has been “incorrectly” treating TFL non-serviceable heath conditions. What the DOD said was “it was a mistake.”

Call Barbara Nagel 510-206-7330 for more information. I will send you the articles or just google the new TFL information yourself.