TRICARE For Life Keeps Retirees Covered and Worry-Free

Many TRICARE beneficiaries often wonder what to expect as they near retirement and how to use the TRICARE For Life benefit after using Prime, Standard or Extra for so long. These concerns are common, but TRICARE For Life is a very simple program developed to keep you stress- and worry-free in your golden years.

TRICARE For Life: What it is and How to Enroll

TRICARE For Life (TFL) is TRICARE’s Medicare-wraparound coverage available worldwide to Medicare-eligible uniformed services beneficiaries, their eligible family members, and survivors. In order to be eligible for TFL, beneficiaries must be eligible for Medicare Part A and purchase Medicare Part B. There are no enrollment fees in TFL, but you must maintain your enrollment in Medicare Part B by paying your Medicare Part B premium in order to keep TFL. The program is available to:

Medicare-eligible uniformed Service retirees, including retired members of the National Guard and Reserve
Medicare-eligible family members and widows/widowers (dependent parents and parents-in-law are excluded)
Certain Medicare-eligible unremarried former spouses
Medicare-eligible Medal of Honor recipients and their family members

The Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System (DEERS) will send you a letter 90 days prior to your 65^th birthday, outlining the changes to your TRICARE benefits. The Social Security Administration (SSA) will notify you regarding your Medicare entitlement. If you have not been contacted by the SSA 30 days before your 65^th birthday, contact them for assistance. Once you have purchased Medicare Part B, Medicare will provide you with an ID card confirming your coverage with both Medicare Parts A and B.

How TFL Works with Medicare

As a beneficiary covered by both Medicare and TRICARE (dual-eligible), you may receive care from any Medicare-authorized provider. Providers authorized with Medicare will also be authorized for TRICARE. You may also continue to receive care at a military treatment facility (MTF) on a space-available basis.

When you receive medical care from a Medicare-authorized provider, your provider files the claim with Medicare. Medicare then processes the claim and forwards the claim to TRICARE for payment of the remaining amount. TRICARE automatically sends payment to your provider. You receive an explanation of benefits from TRICARE indicating the amount Medicare and TRICARE have paid. The chart below describes who is responsible for payment based on the coverage of services.

	Services Medicare Covers	Services Medicare Does not Cover
Services TRICARE Covers	In most cases, Medicare pays first and TRICARE pays its share of the remaining expenses second.	TRICARE is the only payer and you are responsible for TRICARE deductibles and cost-shares.
Services TRICARE Does not Cover	Medicare is the only payer and you are responsible for Medicare cost-shares.	You are responsible for all costs.

Need More Information?

Beneficiaries looking for more information on TRICARE For Life can contact the plan’s administrator, Wisconsin Physicians Services, toll-free at 1-866-773-0404 or visit www.tricare4u.com.

For more information on DEERS or to update your DEERS record, please visit your ID card issuing facility, call 1-800-538-9552 or make home address changes online at http://www.tricare.mil/DEERSAddress.

To find your nearest SSA office or to get more information regarding your social security benefits, please dial 1-800-772-1213 or visit online at http://www.ssa.gov.

For more information on Medicare Part B, including questions on enrolling, please call 1-800-772-1213 or visit the SSA Web site above.