Benefits of Tricare

With so many different types of healthcare coverages out there it’s not an easy process going about finding the best coverage for those of military service and their family. One of the most important benefits of military service is Health Care. TRICARE is a healthcare program by the Department of Defense that provides health care coverage for medical services, medications, and dental care for military families and retirees and their and survivors.â€Å"The United States Department of defense operates a substantial program to provide medical services to active duty and retired members of the armed forces, their dependents, and their survivors through the Military Health Services System (MHSS)† (Shi & Singh, 2012). â€Å"The MHSS is equipped to provide medical care worldwide† (Shi & Singh, 2012). â€Å"It operates 59 hospitals and 364 clinics to serve an eligible population of 9. 6 million at a annual budget of $50 billion, according to the Department of Defenseâ €  (Shi & Singh, 2012).Since healthcare is so important TRICARE brings together the health care resources of the Army, Navy and Air Force and supplements them with networks of civilian health care professionals to provide better access and high quality service while maintaining the capability to support military operations. Active Duty and Guard and Reserve service members are automatically enrolled in TRICARE Prime. However military dependents and retirees must choose the TRICARE option that best suits their needs.One of the most important benefits of TRICARE is guaranteed insurance at a low premium. More benefits associated with TRICARE includes a broad choice of care providers, no enrollment fee, wide availability and the option of using the TRICARE Extra program, which allows the insured to select any physician, in or out of network. TRICARE also offers the services of military health care and provides supplemental services from civilian health care networks and pharmacies.As a response to the challenge of maintaining medical combat readiness and due to the increasing number retirees while providing the best health care for all eligible personnel, the Department of Defense introduced TRICARE. TRICARE is a regionally managed health care program that brings together the health care resources of the Army, Navy, and Air Force and supplements them with networks of civilian health care professionals to provide better access and high quality service while maintaining the capability to support military operations. TRICARE offers soldiers and their families’ affordable health care when they need it the most.Three main coverages of TRICARE which are TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Extra, and TRICARE Standard and the many different services covered by TRICARE. In conclusion the main challenge for most eligible beneficiaries is deciding which TRICARE option; Prime, Extra or Standard is best for them. Active duty soldiers are enrolled in TRICARE Prime and pay no fees while active duty family members pay no enrollment fees, but they must choose a TRICARE option and apply for enrollment in TRICARE Prime. There are no enrollment fees for active duty families in TRICARE Prime.