Useful information from Tricare.
New Urgent Care Pilot Program
Beginning May 23, 2016, the Department of Defense is launching a new
Urgent Care Pilot Program for TRICARE Prime beneficiaries in an effort
to increase access to care. This program allows most beneficiaries
enrolled in TRICARE Prime two visits to a network provider or
TRICARE-authorized urgent care center without a referral or prior
authorization. There are no Point of Service deductibles or cost shares
for these two urgent care visits, but network copayments still apply.
Nurse Advice Line
Do you have a sick child or need health care advice? Call TRICARE’S Nurse Advice Line (NAL) 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at no cost to
you. Speak with a registered nurse who can answer your urgent care
questions, give health care advice, help find a doctor, and schedule
next-day appointments at military hospitals and clinics. To access the
Nurse Advice Line, dial 1-800-TRICARE (1-800-874-2273) and choose option 1.
Quick and Easy Online Tool
The Prior Authorization, Referral and Benefit Tool allows TRICARE
beneficiaries to quickly find information on benefit, cost and approval
requirements in one place. The updated tool takes you through a series
of user-friendly questions to provide detailed information specific to
your military status, TRICARE plan and type of provider you wish to see.
Within the tool, beneficiaries can also access links to applicable
benefit and costs pages at www.tricare.mil for selected services.
Your College Student and TRICARE
Adult children may be eligible for regular TRICARE benefits if enrolled
in an approved institution of higher education full time, are unmarried
and the sponsor provides more than 50 percent financial support.
Eligibility continues until age 23 or graduation, whichever comes first.
Be sure to update the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System
(DEERS) with your child’s student status. You’ll also need a letter from
the school’s registrar’s office verifying your child’s enrollment.
Moving Made Easy
If you’ve recently received permanent change of station orders, don’t
forget to take TRICARE with you. As a TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Prime
Remote beneficiary, you can easily transfer you and your family’s
enrollment via telephone, online or mail. Watch TRICARE’s Moving Made Easy YouTube video to learn more.
