Tricare Help: Will baby be covered by boyfriend’s Tricare? - Getting out, military health issues - Navy Times

Tricare Help: Will baby be covered by boyfriend’s Tricare?

Q. My boyfriend is in the Army, and I am covered under my parents’ insurance. I am pregnant, and my insurance will cover the labor and delivery of the baby. After the baby is born, will the child fall under my boyfriend’s insurance even though we aren’t married?

A. The child of an active-duty, retired or deceased service member is eligible for Tricare by law even if the parents are not married. However, certain administrative tasks must be completed before the child can use Tricare.

The father should contact his personnel section for help establishing his child’s Tricare eligibility. You should become informed, as well — call the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting Service at 800-538-9552. DEERS is a federal agency under the Defense Department. All communications are confidential.

Q. I am retired Navy and will turn 65 next year. For the last 15 years, my family has been enrolled in Tricare Prime. My plan is to continue with Tricare for Life. My spouse is four years younger than I am. When I enroll in Medicare, is my wife covered by Tricare for Life until she becomes eligible for Medicare?

A. As a uniformed service retiree, you will be required by the law that governs Tricare to be enrolled in Medicare Part B on the same date that your Medicare Part A becomes effective. If you are not enrolled in Part B on that date, you will lose your Tricare eligibility until you are enrolled in Medicare Part B.

If a beneficiary enrolls in parts A and B in a timely manner, his Medicare coverage and TFL eligibility will begin on the first day of the month of his 65th birthday.

Your wife will not qualify for Medicare or Tricare for Life until she is 65. She can keep her Tricare Prime coverage until then.

Q. I am on active duty. Does Tricare cover paternity tests, or do I have to pay out of pocket?

A. Does Tricare cover paternity tests? Well, yes and no. It depends on who is involved and the reason for the test.

Active-duty personnel are generally not eligible for civilian medical services at government expense under Tricare. They must be referred by their military hospital for such services; that is unlikely if the medical service is one that their military hospital can provide.

I suggest that you ask the Tricare office at your military hospital. That way, you can discuss the matter in complete confidence.

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.