Tricare Help: Non-U.S. citizens can get Tricare coverage - Getting out, military health issues - Navy Times

Tricare Help: Non-U.S. citizens can get Tricare coverage

Q. I’m the wife of a reservist and I just found out I’m pregnant. I don’t have insurance yet, however. Also, I’m not a U.S. citizen, I’m staying in the U.S. with a fiancé visa and processing for a green card. Can I get Tricare even if I don’t have a green card or any U.S.-issued ID?

A. Family members do not need to be U.S. citizens to be eligible for Tricare as long as they are legal dependents of, and sponsored by, Tricare-eligible service members through marriage or parentage. However, you must be properly enrolled in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS), and you must receive a uniformed services ID card before you can use any Tricare benefits.

Be aware that the only Tricare program your husband is eligible for as a drilling reservist is Tricare Reserve Select, which requires enrollment and monthly premiums. You (and he) are not eligible for “regular” Tricare coverage unless he is mobilized for active duty for more than 30 days.

You should call the main DEERS support office at 800-538-9552 to get more information on what you need to do to register and get a military ID card.

Q. I am a retired service member in the process of getting divorced. I served 21½ years, and my wife meets the 20/20/20 criteria. Will we each have to pay the premium?

A. Former spouses of military retirees who become entitled to Tricare by virtue of the 20/20/20 rule are registered in the Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System under their own Social Security numbers. They are no longer under the sponsorship of the military retiree.

As such, former spouses are responsible for their own Tricare costs. You will each pay $269.28 to enroll in Prime as individuals.

Q. I am covered by Tricare for Life after 30 years in the Coast Guard. What’s going to happen to all of us retired folks under Obamacare? Will we still have Tricare for Life?

A. No one has a crystal ball to look into the future, but at this point there is no evidence to indicate that there will be any reductions in Tricare for Life benefits.

Many aspects of the Affordable Care Act, sometimes known as Obamacare, have already taken effect. Under that new law, Medicare beneficiaries are still guaranteed their existing Medicare-covered benefits and can still choose their own doctors. The Affordable Care Act has zero impact on the Tricare portion of Tricare for Life, for the simple reason that Tricare is governed under a separate law.

The Pentagon last year proposed to implement a modest annual enrollment fee for Tricare for Life beneficiaries of $200 a year, but Congress rejected that proposal and does not seem inclined to revisit that issue.

Write to Tricare Help, Times News Service, 6883 Commercial Drive, Springfield, VA 22159; or tricarehelp@militarytimes.com. In email, include the word “Tricare” in the subject line and do not attach files. Get Tricare advice anytime at www.militarytimes.com/tricarehelp.