Active-Duty Members and Family Options

  • TRICARE Prime – A managed care option available in Prime Service Areas, requires enrollment, and annual enrollment fees. Prime enrollees have an assigned primary care manager (PCM) to provide your care.
  • TRICARE Prime Remote – The managed care option available in remote areas of the United States. Remote is defined as the sponsor’s home and work address is more than 50 miles away from a military hospital or clinic. Prime enrollees have an assigned PCM to provide your care.
  • TRICARE Prime Overseas – This is the managed care option for military members and families in an overseas area near a military hospital or clinic. There are no enrollment fees and most of your care will come from your PCM or military hospital or clinic.
  • TRICARE Prime Remote Overseas – This option is available in designated remote overseas locations in the Eurasia-Africa, Latin America, Canada, and Pacific regions. You’ll get your care from an assigned PCM.
  • TRICARE Select – TRICARE Select is a self-managed, preferred provider organization (PPO) plan available in the United States, for qualified participants except active-duty military personnel.
  • TRICARE Select Overseas – TRICARE Select Overseas provides comprehensive coverage for eligible participants in all overseas areas.
  • TRICARE Young Adult – This plan is for qualified adult children who have “aged out” of regular TRICARE coverage. The plan provides comprehensive medical and pharmacy benefits.

National Guard and Reservist Members and Family Options
***Your TRICARE coverage is based on your military status.***

  • On military duty for less than 30 days, you may qualify for line of duty care if you incur or aggravate an injury, illness, or disease while on a period of orders 30 days or less.
  • When “inactive” (on military duty for 30 days or less) when you’re on orders for Inactive duty for training (weekend drills), annual training, or active service for 30 days or less. You may qualify for line of duty care as above, or TRICARE Reserve Select, a premium based health plan that you purchase.
  • When activated, you become eligible for the same health and dental benefits as active duty members. You can enroll in TRICARE Prime, Prime Remote, Prime Overseas, or Prime Remote Overseas depending on your duty station.
  • When deactivated your health plan options are different depending on if you were in activated in support of a contingency operation.

When retired, Retired Reserve members and their families may qualify for different options based on the age of the sponsor. 

  • Under age 60 – You and your family may qualify to purchase TRICARE Retired Reserve. If you don’t purchase TRICARE Retired you don’t qualify for any other TRICARE plan until you reach the age of 60.
  • Age 60 and older – When you turn 60, you and your family become eligible for the same TRICARE health benefits as all other retired service members. Your health plan options are different based on where you live. See below for retiree TRICARE plans.

Retired Service Members and Families

Plan options available for retirees depend on your location and age:

  • TRICARE Prime
  • TRICARE Select
  • TRICARE Select Overseas
  • TRICARE for Life – TRICARE For Life (TFL) is Medicare-wraparound coverage if you are TRICARE-eligible and have Medicare Part A and B, regardless of age or place of residence. There is no enrollment for TRICARE for Life, it is automatically eligible participants when they pay the Medicare Part B premiums.
  • US Family Health Plan – The US Family Health Plan is an additional TRICARE Prime option available through networks of community-based, not-for-profit healthcare systems in six areas of the United States.

Current US Family Health Plan Providers and Areas of Coverage include:

  • Johns Hopkins Medicine – Maryland, Washington, D.C., and parts of Pennsylvania, Virginia. Delaware, and West Virginia
  • Martin’s Point Health Care – Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Ohio, and portions of New York and Pennsylvania
  • Brighton Marine Health – Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and portions of Connecticut
  • St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers – New Jersey, New York City, Long Island, and portions of Connecticut, and the Philadelphia area.
  • CHRISTUS Health – Southeast Texas, and Southwest Louisiana
  • Pacific Medical Centers – Portions of Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and California

Check out our 3-part TRICARE Series:

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