Hi! In this post, I’m giving you four steps to walk through in order to have a handle on the most important and significant issues. Today’s topic is Tricare Insurance, and the basics of choosing Tricare Prime or Tricare Standard. It can be SO confusing trying to decide which one is best for your family. When I started out, I had no idea and my husband didn’t either. He’d never been married before so he had never gone through enrolling anyone. We were clueless!
Should you be Prime or Standard
In this post, I’ll give you the basic features of going Tricare Prime or Tricare Standard. I’ll also touch on the dental insurance, which is separate through Metlife. Then I’ll give you some questions to ask yourself to evaluate which one is best for you.
You may have to revisit this question and possibly change which insurance you have at each duty station or at other times, based on many factors (discussed below). Just know that you’re not signing your life away forever, you can make changes as your location/family/living situation change, etc.
All features of what is Tricare Prime
- Less out-of-pocket expenses
- Must see a provider- known as a “PCM” or Primary Care Manager- on-base/at the military facility if you’re within a 30-60 minute drive (depends on duty station)
- Must get referrals in order to see specialists
- Must enroll- once you get married you are automatically on Standard unless you enroll in Prime (Of course your spouse must add you in DEERS).
- You can switch to Standard at any time, with one switchback within the year. After that, you must wait until Prime enrollment to switch back to Prime.
- Must re-enroll every time you “PCS” (Permanent Change of Station = move) to a new region (north, south or west)
- Less consistency in care (PCM may PCS or deploy frequently)
Features of Tricare Standard
- Individual deductible: $50 (E-4 and below) or $150 (E-5 and up)
- Family deductible: $100 (E-4 and below) or $300 (E-5 and up)
- $1000 yearly catastrophic cap (catastrophic cap is actually same if choosing Tricare Prime or Tricare Standard, but you typically go through it faster with your Standard payment portion)
- If officer spouse, look into MOAA supplement, espically if you or your dependents see specialists often. They cover 15% above what Standard covers, plus can reimburse pharmacy co-pay too. They cover the yearly catastrophic cap but not the deductible.
- Your choice of providers out in town, in or out of network. Pay slightly more for out of network.
- No referrals needed for specialists
- No need to enroll– you’re automatically standard when you register in DEERS or move to a new region
Tricare Dental Program through MetLife
This program is voluntary and you MUST enroll separately in order to get coverage. Do NOT (ahem, speaking from experience here)… I repeat, do NOT go to an appointment before you enroll and your coverage begins. Again, this is separate, whether you’re going Tricare Prime or Tricare Standard. I made this mistake when I first got married. I did not know I had to enroll so I made an appointment. (We got married and immediately moved cross-country). When I arrived, they checked my insurance and it wasn’t popping up…. because I didn’t have it. Eek! They did the cleaning but were gracious and they didn’t have the doctor see me (would have cost a lot more!). I had to pay out of pocket for the cleaning and rescheduled the Dr visit.
When to consider Prime
- Will you be living on base or very near a military clinic or hospital?
- Do you prefer to have no payment responsibility?
- Are you ok sacrificing more choice in provider?
- Are you ok with less consistency in your care?
- Do you and your children rarely need to see a doctor for sickness or specialties?
When to consider Standard
- Do you need to see specialists frequently for specific needs, especially when waiting for a referral could hinder your care? (fertility, etc)
- Do you highly value choice of provider and consistency in care for you and your children?
- Are you in a season where you will be moving several times to different regions within a short amount of time, leaving you to wait for repeated referrals?
Remember
You and your spouse are ultimately the ones who must decide on the coverage for you and your dependents. Be sure to do your own research. And hopefully, this has been a good starting point for you!
Some military hospitals can treat things such as some fertility issues. In that case, Prime may cover those expenses when it normally would not. Be sure to ask Tricare about your own specific conditions and what’s covered.
All information is subject to change. This article is only meant as a guide. Please consult the Tricare website or call them in order to ensure that your health care information is up to date and fits with you and your family’s needs.
Your article helped me a lot, thx