Tricare Help: Can I still get on-base care under Tricare for Life? - Getting out, military health issues - Navy Times

Tricare Help: Can I still get on-base care under Tricare for Life?

Q. I will get Medicare and Tricare for Life on Dec. 1. I live near an Air Force base and have been getting most of my health care from specialists there. I know that under Tricare for Life, I need to get my care from Medicare providers, which is fine, but can they still refer me to military doctors, if necessary?

A. When most Tricare beneficiaries turn 65, get Medicare and are enrolled in Part B, those who were formerly enrolled in Tricare Prime are automatically transferred from Prime to Tricare Standard, which, along with Medicare, makes up your Tricare for Life coverage. If you are no longer enrolled in Prime, your access to free medical care at your local military treatment facility will likely be curtailed.

Retirees and their family members have priority access to military hospital care as a result of being enrolled in Tricare Prime. Once you are switched from Prime to Standard, you do not have the same priority access.

As there are individual differences among facilities, however, the one near your home may still have space and personnel available to allow non-Prime enrollees to use their services. You will need to ask the patient administration office if you can continue to use the facilities, including the pharmacies.

Q. I am on Tricare Prime now, but I will become eligible for Medicare in January. Will I get Tricare for Life then, or is there a waiting list?

A. There is no waiting list for Tricare for Life. Here’s what’s supposed to happen:

Federal law requires you to be enrolled in Medicare Part B at the same time as your Medicare Part A becomes effective (on Jan. 1, according to your letter). You should receive an official Medicare identification card that states what Medicare programs you are enrolled in. It should say your Medicare Part A and Part B coverage were effective on Jan. 1.

If that is true, you have become eligible for Tricare for Life.

While all this is supposed to happen automatically, you should confirm the above by calling the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting Service at 800-538-9552. If those are not the facts, ask DEERS about your status regarding Tricare for Life and whether DEERS reports that you are enrolled in Tricare Standard or in Tricare Prime. You will be speaking with a live person who will be able to answer all your questions. Be prepared to take notes.

Under Tricare for Life, you have full coverage by Medicare Part A and Part B plus full coverage by Tricare Standard.

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