Tricare Help: Can my sister be covered by husband’s Tricare? - Marine Corps Health Issues | Marine Corps Times

Tricare Help: Can my sister be covered by husband’s Tricare?

Q. I have a sister who is going to be moving in with me. She is on Social Security disability and Medicare. My husband is retired Navy. Can he add her to his Tricare as a dependent?

A. Brothers, sisters and parents of service members or their dependents do not meet the legal requirements for Tricare eligibility.

If you live near a uniformed service facility with a hospital or clinic, it is possible that your husband can arrange for your sister to get some, or even all, of her medical care and pharmacy services there, if that facility has sufficient staff and capacity. He should contact the patient administration office or the executive officer at the facility for more information.

For your sister to have access to any military benefits, your husband would have to take some administrative actions to establish her as his legal dependent. His personnel office can help make those arrangements, including her registration in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System.

For official answers to all of your questions, call the DEERS support office at 800-538-9552. DEERS deals with eligibility issues only.

Q. I am retired from the Navy and have had civilian medical insurance as my primary coverage and Tricare as secondary. I will soon retire from my civilian occupation. As I am only 55 and my wife is 58, what, if anything, should I be looking at with regards to a supplement or an upgrade to Tricare Prime?

A. Tricare plans do not differ in the medical services they cover, only in the ways you get care and the amounts of your out-of-pocket expenses. Tricare Prime — which functions in a way similar to a commercial health maintenance organization, or HMO — is least expensive when it comes to out-of-pocket payments.

There are no Tricare “upgrades” until Medicare can be added to your coverage at age 65, when you can become eligible for the Tricare plan called Tricare for Life. You can read more about it by clicking here.

Keep in mind that all Tricare plans are established by federal law, and it is not possible to determine what these plans will be like in 10 years when you become eligible for Medicare. Laws are subject to change.

Most military associations sell a supplement for Tricare Standard, and it is likely some also sell a Tricare Prime supplement. You should request copies of several supplemental policies and read them carefully to determine which one best meets your needs.

Write to Tricare Help, Times News Service, 6883 Commercial Drive, Springfield, VA 22159; or click here to email us. In email, include the word “Tricare” in the subject line and do not attach files. Get Tricare advice anytime on our blog.