Q. I'm an Air Force retiree whose employer is moving to new, high-deductible insurance coverage. I'll be 63 in March, and my wife will be 64 in a couple of weeks. Under this plan, my health care bills will be processed through my company only if they amount to more than $3,000. Anything less will instead will be submitted to my secondary coverage, Tricare.

If my company plan pays nothing on a claim, how much will Tricare pay on that claim? And if I choose not to take the new plan and go only with Tricare, which option should I use, what will it cost, and are supplements available to cover what Tricare does not?

A: If you keep your company plan and Tricare as secondary coverage:

What Tricare pays on a claim — the "Tricare allowable charge" — depends on the type of service provided and your location. (Note: Not every medical procedure has an established Tricare allowable charge associated with it.) You can get a feel for what Tricare will pay here.

If you drop your company plan and go only with Tricare:

Which option you choose depends on your and your wife's general health, and what you can afford. Since both of you are still under 65, your options would be Tricare Prime or Tricare Standard.

Tricare Prime is a managed-care plan available only in certain geographic Prime service areas, so you'd need to check whether you live in a PSA.

Prime requires enrollment; the annual fee for you and your wife would be $565.20. Beyond that, retirees in Prime also have co-payments for various types of care.

Once enrolled, you and your wife would be assigned a primary care manager who'd provide most of your care; refer you to specialists when necessary; work with your regional Tricare contractor for referrals/authorizations; and accept co-payments and file claims for you.

More on Prime is here.

Tricare Standard is a fee-for-service plan that doesn't require enrollment or payment of monthly premiums. However, there is an annual outpatient deductible. For you and your wife, that would be $300 a year.

Under Standard, you could schedule appointments with any Tricare-authorized provider you choose. Referrals are not required, but you might need prior authorization from your regional Tricare contractor for some services.

More on Tricare Standard is here.

The Tricare website has a handy feature that lets you directly compare and contrast the features of different options such as Prime and Standard.

There are plenty of supplemental policies to shore up a beneficiary's basic Tricare coverage. Many advocacy groups offer them, including the Air Force Association, the Armed Forces Benefits Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars and others. Google "Tricare supplemental insurance" and you'll get a bunch of hits to explore.

Once you and your wife reach age 65, you'll have to transition to Tricare for Life, under which Medicare serves as primary coverage and Tricare Standard serves as backup secondary coverage.

Beneficiaries must enroll in Medicare Part B outpatient insurance to remain eligible for TFL. For most beneficiaries, the monthly Part B premium is $104.90.

Note: Tricare advises TFL beneficiaries not to enroll in the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, as that makes them ineligible for the Tricare mail-order pharmacy benefit.

Much more information about your Tricare options is available from the managed-care contractor for the Tricare region in which you live. There are three regions in the U.S.; contact information for each is here.

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