Tricare

[pugtracker]

Whats it like traveling fulltime and using tricare?

[1stsgt]

pugtracker,

I am not a full timer but I have had Tricare benefits for several years and am very pleased with it. Although I know some facts concerning Tricare I wouldn't even try to quote all of the facts concerning Tricare. So, I'm sending you the first link below to Tricare Info Explained.

http://www.military.com/kwlp08?ESRC=ggl_mem_ben_tric_kw.kw

The second link below is to Tricare online . It contains some very important Tricare contact phone numbers.

https://www.tricareonline.com/welcome.do

The third link below is to Welcome to Tricare. It contains info on prescriptions as well as more important info. You can also sign up for Tricare Benefit Updates on this site.

http://www.tricare.mil/mybenefit/index.jsp?uri=


This should help you more than asking 5 people and getting 5 different answers which happens all to often.

[rdowdall04]

On the tricare subject,I am hesitant to drop my OHI because of concern for a lack of coverage for long term care.
As a retiree must we go on to medicare or can we still be on tricare. I will be eligible for TFL. I think this means tricare first then medicare.
If neither covers a procedure then OHI will cover , supposedly.
The OHI is very expensive. $550/mo for me fully covered now at age 62 and 450/mo. for the soouse who is on medicare because of disability.
Thoughts on dropping OHI.

[afret75]

When we went on Medicare, we kept our OHI for one major reason. A fear that OUR Government would come along and change the rules as they have in the past on other items and we'd be hung out to dry with a big medical bill. But here's the way it's "suppose" to work if the medical providers would follow the correct procedure.

First they have to bill Medicare which will pay their 80% APPROVED amount. Medicare then sends what is left of the bill to the OHI people for them to pay their amount. In theory, what is left provider will send to Tricare for the final amount to be paid. Here's the kicker to all of this. The medical provider, generally a hospital will send the total amount of the bill to Medicare, OHI and Tricare all at the sametime. Tricare won't touch it until they get a record to what the other two will pay. We quite often get a notice from Tricare on why they won't pay but what I do is just set on it to see what happens. So far over the past several years, it all get's taken care of and we've paid out nothing through several major operations but it can be a pain in the rear until it is cleared up.

Marty
USAF Ret

[fadcox]

I have Medicare and Tricare For Life and I have never paid anything to a doctor or hospital. To get TFL, you have to be on Medicare. It is a Medicare supplement. I don't know anything about the other Tricare products. Last Spring in Florida my wife had to go to the Emergency Room and to a clinic and there were no problems with TFL.

Frank

[mailman]

I received my medical care for years from Ireland Army Hospital at Ft Knox Kentucky. I recently turned 65 and can no longer receive care there, but had to find a local provider. No real big deal, but I really liked Ft Knox, wife still goes there, for the next 3 years. I am on Medicare and TFL. Medicare is the Primary, Tricare is Secondary, but I do get the pleasure of forfeiting about $97 a month for Medicare compared to the $230 a year for Tricare Prime. $230 a year compared to over $1100, now that is a great deal. But it beats a lot of plans out there. Excuse me, just started rambling. I need to camp more, heard it was good for "rambling."
The other Marty