New TRICARE Prime Enrollees See Premium Increase

Beneficiaries may be hearing about changes to the enrollment fee for TRICARE Prime. Right now only military retirees that are just enrolling for the first time will be impacted by the increase in the annual fee. Fee increases for military retirees already enrolled in TRICARE Prime will occur next year. Here is the information being released by TRICARE Management Activity (TMA).

TMA announced an increase in premiums for military retirees enrolling in TRICARE Prime. The effective date is October 1, 2011. Military retirees will pay a slightly higher annual fee.

The new fee will now cost newly enrolling military retirees $260 per year for a member (individual) and $520 per year for the member and eligible family members. According to TMA, the increase amounts to an additional $2.50 per month for a member (individual) plan and $5 per month for the member and eligible family members. 

Military retirees already enrolled in TRICARE Prime prior to October 1, 2011 will NOT experience a fee increase until October 1, 2012. Fees will remain at $230 for a member (individual) and $460 for a member and eligible family members.

Survivors of active duty deceased sponsors and medically retired service members and their eligible family members will NOT see an increase in their TRICARE Prime annual enrollment fee no matter when they enroll.

The National Military Family Association would like to remind beneficiaries that the changes in TRICARE pharmacy co-payments also went into effect on October 1. Click here for more information on the pharmacy co-payment changes.

(Source: http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=65487)