Tricare Help: Thinking of a tattoo? If you get a bad one, you’re on your own - Getting out, military health issues - Navy Times

Tricare Help: Thinking of a tattoo? If you get a bad one, you’re on your own

Answering your questions on Tricare.

Q. I’m an active-duty Marine. On a wild weekend, I stupidly got a big, unsightly tattoo on my back. I can’t appear shirtless in public. Will Tricare pay to have the tattoo removed or covered secretly? I’m afraid it could be a career-ender.

Active-duty members are not eligible for Tricare the way retirees or family members are. You’re not eligible for civilian medical care at government expense unless you are referred by your military hospital or medical command. In that case, the military hospital, not Tricare, pays the bill.

But even if you were eligible for Tricare, tattoo removal is considered to be a cosmetic procedure and is not covered.

You may have no choice but to pay for removal yourself or talk with your military hospital about it. Some hospitals have a doctor on staff who may be able to help, or a sympathetic hospital commander may feel it’s appropriate to refer you for civilian care.

Q. I’m a retired reservist and retired federal employee with employees’ health insurance. I have a civilian husband who is three years younger than I am; we have no children. I’ll be 65 in December and get Medicare and Tricare for Life. What can I do at that time to ensure I still have coverage for my husband?

When you transition to Tricare for Life on Dec. 1, your husband’s federal employee plan and Tricare coverage will continue unchanged until he gets Medicare at age 65 — assuming you keep your own coverage under the federal employees plan. Family members can’t be covered unless the former employee also is covered. Confirm this with the Office of Personnel Management.

For your own transition, you should apply for Medicare Part A and Part B at least 90 days before Dec. 1. If you enroll properly, your coverage will be effective on that date. If your Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting Service record reflects your Part B enrollment, you will retain your Tricare eligibility and become eligible for TFL.

TFL consists of full coverage by Medicare Parts A and B plus Tricare Standard. Because you must retain your federal employee plan coverage for your husband’s benefit, however, that plan — not Tricare — will be second payer on your Medicare claims. Tricare Standard will be last payer, and you must file those Tricare claims yourself.

Call the DEERS support office at 800-538-9552 to check the accuracy of your and your husband’s DEERS records.

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Write to Tricare Help, Times News Service, 6883 Commercial Drive, Springfield, VA 22159; or tricarehelp@militarytimes.com. In e-mail, include the word “Tricare” in the subject line and do not attach files. Get Tricare advice anytime on our blog.