It's a little-known fact that those who served in the military and are enrolled in TRICARE have the ability to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan and NOT have to pay any copays, deductibles, or coinsurance. TRICARE covers all of these costs, so the enrollee ends up paying nothing.
The number of private doctors accepting new TRICARE patients or just TRICARE alone is spiraling down. A significantly lower percentage of civilian mental health providers, primary doctors and specialists accept TRICARE compared to the larger, more well-known Medicare Advantage plans.
Additionally, Medicare Advantage plans offer extra benefits not offered by TRICARE.
If you have TRICARE and the thought of enrolling in a Medicare Advantage makes you nervous, don’t be. Know that you can enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan October 15th – December 7th with the plan taking effect January 1st.
Medicare allows you to switch Medicare Advantage plans (one time) or disenroll in a Medicare Advantage plan January 1st – March 31st. The change becomes effective the first day of the next month, so you don’t have to wait very long.
This essentially gives you the knowledge that you will have a “do-over” during the first part of the year if the Medicare Plan you chose isn’t what you thought it would be.
Overall, the advantage to enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan can be access to more doctors, good pricing of prescription drugs and extra benefits such as vision, dental, gym membership and so much more.
If you have TRICARE and are interested in the possibility of enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan, please feel free to contact me. I will thoroughly research your doctors, hospitals, prescriptions and match them up to the plan that best serves your needs.