TRICARE Select recipients must pay new fee or lose coverage

Starting Jan. 1, 2021, TRICARE Select Group A retirees must begin paying enrollment fees to maintain health coverage, according to Defense Health Agency (DHA) officials. Hundreds of thousands of retirees will no longer be enrolled if they don’t set up a payment plan by this date.

The change in coverage for Group A retired beneficiaries will affect those whose initial enlistment, or appointment or that of their uniformed services sponsor, began before Jan. 1, 2018.

The new TRICARE Select enrollment fees for Group A retired beneficiaries are $12.50 per month or $150 annually for an individual plan. And $25 per month or $300 annually for a family plan. Additionally, the catastrophic cap will increase from $3,000 to $3,500.

Enrollment fees will be waived for those who are an active duty family member, a medically retired retiree or family member or a survivor of an active duty sponsor or medically retired retiree.

This change will not affect those who are enrolled in TRICARE For Life, TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Reserve Select, TRICARE Retired Reserve or TRICARE Young Adult. These beneficiaries do not need to take any action to keep their current coverage.

DHA is urging Group A retired beneficiaries to take action to set up a payment plan by contacting their regional TRICARE contractor immediately.

For more information on this change and how to set up your payment plan, visit https://www.tricare.mil/Plans/Enroll/Select/EnrollmentFees.