Q. My Army husband was honorably discharged from active duty last month and will be reporting to the National Guard for the next 13 months. Are we still covered under Tricare?
A. The military's Transitional Assistance Management Program provides 180 days of premium-free transitional health care benefits after regular Tricare benefits end. However, TAMP eligibility is limited to specific circumstances, and not all troops qualify. More details are here: tricare.mil/tamp.
If your husband does not qualify for TAMP, his (and your) only Tricare option while he is in Guard status is Tricare Reserve Select, which requires enrollment and payment of monthly premiums. Get details here.
Q. I'm a Navy retiree working in the private sector. When I have a doctor's appointment, I show my employer's insurance card and then tell them my secondary insurance is Tricare Standard. They always ask for a card, and I give them my military retiree ID. Am I supposed to have a Tricare card, too?
A. There is no official Tricare card for use in situations such as you describe. Technically, your DoD retired military ID card is all you need. However, in recognition that some private-sector health care providers can get a bit squirrely about that, Tricare has created simple wallet cards that you can download and take to appointments to show that you're enrolled. There are spaces on the card for you to write in your provider's name and phone number as a reference.
But it's important to keep in mind that this card is not sufficient to prove eligibility for Tricare; that proof still resides in your official military retiree ID card, which you must show at all appointments. More details on the wallet cards are here.
Q. My mom is a surviving spouse using Tricare for Life. If she gets a Medicare Part D plan through my late father's workplace insurance, will it affect her TFL drug prescription benefits?
A. Yes, having Part D definitely will affect her TFL prescription drug benefit.
For most Tricare beneficiaries, there is almost zero advantage to enrolling in a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. The only Tricare beneficiaries likely to achieve any financial advantage from Part D are those whose incomes are below the federal poverty level and who qualify for financial aid to help pay their Medicare Part B premiums.
If your mom is not in that group and signs up for Part D, Tricare would pay second after Medicare on her prescription drug claims — but that wouldn't be automatic; she would have to file separate claims with Tricare to be reimbursed for the Part D plan's drug co-payments and deductibles.
More important, TFL beneficiaries who enroll in Part D are locked out of the Tricare Mail-Order Pharmacy program, which offers the lowest co-pays and greatest convenience of any Tricare prescription drug option.
Email tricarehelp@militarytimes.com. Include the word "Tricare" in the subject line.
