U.S. Military (Ret.): What retirees must know about Tricare and Medicare - Military Retirement - Navy Times

U.S. Military (Ret.): What retirees must know about Tricare and Medicare

Tricare questions normally are handled by my fellow columnist James E. Hamby Jr. in his Tricare Help column on this page.

But lately I’ve gotten inquiries from retirees about a couple of Tricare issues, including how it works with other health insurance and the basics of Medicare enrollment at age 65.

Since I don’t think it’s possible to have too much information, I thought I would go over these two issues in my column this week.

By law, Tricare is always the last payer to any other health insurance you may have through an employer or the government (such as Medicare). That is, you must file claims first with any other insurer you may have.

Once the other insurer processes the claim, you may file for reimbursement with Tricare if there was a charge that the other health insurance would not pay.

Many military associations and private companies offer supplemental insurance policies to cover out-of-pocket costs. These plans are a little different from Tricare; they usually require you to file with them first, then with Tricare — an exception to the “Tricare is always last payer” rule.

Each supplemental insurance plan has its own rules. Carefully consider your health care needs and the health care needs of your family before purchasing a supplemental insurance plan.

The second issue, what do retirees need to do when they turn age 65, is straightforward.

You must be enrolled in Medicare parts A (inpatient hospital services) and B (outpatient services) in order to be eligible for Tricare for Life when you reach age 65. Part A is free, but Part B requires monthly premium payments.

Also, it’s very important to note that if you don’t sign up for Medicare Part B immediately upon reaching age 65 and then decide to sign up later, you will have to pay a premium penalty. The penalty increases the longer you wait to sign up.

Medicare is a government form of “other health insurance,” which means it will be your primary health care coverage and first payer on all claims, with Tricare serving as second payer to cover whatever Medicare does not. Together, Medicare and Tricare will cover most claims in full.

To learn more, visit www.medi care.gov and www.tricare.mil. And you can see Hamby’s answers to readers’ questions anytime at his blog, www.militarytimes.com/tricarehelp.

Retired Command Master Chief Alex Keenan served 28 years in the Coast Guard. Email him at retired@militarytimes.com.