Get my own coverage, or continue as a dependent?
November 23rd, 2009 | TriCare Help | Posted by Military Times
Q. I am a 60-year-old Army retiree. I have done nothing regarding Tricare or Medicare because my wife is still on active duty in the Army, which makes me a military dependent with Tricare Prime.
My question is, should I be doing something now? If not, when? Should I wait until my wife retires?
If you are entitled to receive retired pay, you are eligible for Tricare in your own right. But being an active-duty dependent is a better situation than having Tricare under your own Social Security number.
You have a smaller cost share, 20 percent instead of a regular retiree’s 25 percent, and your catastrophic cap is only $1,000, instead of $3,000 as it is for most retirees. It seems that you are in very good shape for your health care coverage.
When your wife retires, you and she should continue to keep your Tricare eligibility under only one of your SSNs. That keeps you with only one family catastrophic cap account, which is good.
I don’t think that you need to do anything until you get Medicare when you are 65. Between now and then, call DEERS at least once a year to make sure your registration is correct and up-to-date, and promptly report to DEERS any change in your status, such as an address change so your record is up-to-date at all times. The DEERS toll-free number is 1-800-538-9552.
Tags: catastrophic cap, DEERS, Medicare, spouse, Tricare Prime
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