U.S. Military (Ret.): How Dental Program coverage works under new contract - Military Retirement - Navy Times

U.S. Military (Ret.): How Dental Program coverage works under new contract

It’s been a year since Delta Dental of California began a new five-year term as administrator of the Tricare Retiree Dental Program.

I get a fair number of questions about TRDP from soon-to-be retirees. I use it myself and have found it to be a good program when compared with coverage offered by employers or other insurance carriers.

TRDP was authorized by Congress as part of the 1997 Defense Authorization Act to offer affordable dental benefits as a voluntary option to the nation’s 5 million-plus military retirees and their eligible family members. More than 700,000 military retirees are enrolled.

Under the new contract, increased coverage includes dental implant services at 50 percent of allowable charges, an increase in the orthodontic lifetime maximum benefit from $1,200 to $1,500, and 80 percent coverage for posterior composite fillings.

TRDP also has an “Enhanced Overseas” program to cover retirees and their eligible family members who live outside the U.S., its territories, and Canada.

For retirees who are employed, or have a spouse who is employed, with dental coverage in addition to the TRDP, benefits are governed by coordination of benefits rules. Under COB, most dental carriers coordinate benefits to allow enrollees to maximize the coverage provided by both programs, often paying most or all of the patient’s dental bill and helping to greatly reduce out-of-pocket expenses. Like many health coverage programs, if you have dual benefits, one will offset the other.

TRDP carries a deductible of $50 per person per year, with a family cap of $150 and an annual maximum of $1,200 per person. The average annual premium amount that an enrollee pays per contract year for TRDP provides two cleanings, two routine exams and one set of X-rays per year, as well as coverage for gum surgery, oral surgery and root canals.

One of the things I like about TRDP is that it will cover eligible family members of nonenrolled retirees who have dental insurance through their employers but can’t use it to cover their families.

You can use any licensed dentist, although the program encourages enrollees to use one of the more than 100,000 TRDP participating network dentists or Delta Dental Premier dentists. Enrollees in the TRDP who see a network dentist incur no out-of-pocket costs other than their cost share and applicable deductible.

Obviously, everyone’s situation is different, and it’s smart to shop around. But I can tell you that I’m a satisfied customer. For more information, go online to www.trdp.org or call Delta Dental toll-free at 888-838-8737.

Retired Command Master Chief Alex Keenan served 28 years in the Coast Guard. E-mail him at retired@atpco.com.