Tricare Help: Supplemental advised for Tricare for Life overseas users - Getting out, military health issues - Navy Times

Tricare Help: Supplemental advised for Tricare for Life overseas users

Q. You have written that “under Tricare for Life, you must get all your civilian medical care from Medicare providers only.” That’s only if you expect Medicare to pay its portion under Tricare for Life, right? I live overseas and will enroll in both Medicare Parts A and B when the time comes. Will that ensure my current Tricare Standard coverage continues under TFL?

A. Indeed, if a TFL beneficiary wants Medicare to pay any part of the bill, he must get care from Medicare providers only.

It is true that those living overseas — where Medicare coverage does not exist — are not required to use Medicare providers for their care.

You are correct that, when you become legally entitled to free Medicare Part A (usually at age 65), federal law requires you to be enrolled also in Medicare Part B in order to retain your Tricare eligibility.

Retirees who live overseas have complained for many years about the requirement to be enrolled in, and pay a monthly premium for, Medicare Part B, which they cannot use. The issue has been raised to Congress many times, but the law remains on the books.

Your claims must be filed with Tricare Standard, and you are subject to the usual $150 Tricare fiscal year deductible and your 25 percent cost share (for retirees and their family members) of the amount allowed on the claim.

Your claims must be processed as if you did not have Medicare. As such, a suitable Tricare supplemental policy may be a good idea for you. For tips on shopping for one, click here and visit our blog.

Q. My daughter recently signed up for the Tricare Young Adult program. She is 22. Is she required to get a dependent ID card?

A. Yes. The uniformed service ID card serves as proof of Tricare coverage. On the back of the card are statements regarding eligibility for civilian medical care at government expense. The word “Yes” in the appropriate space is proof of Tricare eligibility at the time the card was issued.

Q. When enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan, what expenses are covered by Tricare for Life, and how can I get reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses normally covered by TFL with straight Medicare coverage?

A. To be reimbursed by Tricare for part of your out-of-pocket Medicare Advantage Plan costs, you need to get an itemized statement from that plan and submit it as a Tricare claim. Call your Tricare Regional Service Center for more information and detailed instructions.

You may want to ask Tricare which of those services would be covered at no cost, without a need to file a claim, by the free Tricare Standard portion that is half of your Tricare for Life plan. Ë

Write to Tricare Help, Times News Service, 6883 Commercial Drive, Springfield, VA 22159; or click here to email us. In email, include the word “Tricare” in the subject line and do not attach files. Get Tricare advice anytime on our blog.