Latest news with #KathleenHicks
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pentagon ends new radar effort meant for Guam missile defense
Early this year, the Pentagon issued a memo halting development of a new radar meant to protect Guam from high-end air and missile threats, according to a May 22 Government Accountability Office report on the effort to protect the strategic island in the Pacific. 'On January 7, 2025, the Deputy Secretary of Defense [Kathleen Hicks] directed the [Missile Defense Agency] to cease development of one of the elements, the AN/TPY-6 radar, but to retain the currently fielded panel as an experimental asset with potential to develop for operational use within the [Guam Defense System] in the future,' the report states. While Hicks' decision came at the end of her tenure under the Biden administration, GAO notes the changes are not binding on the new administration. The Pentagon's plan to develop an elaborate air-and-missile defense architecture is beginning to take shape and will be pieced together over the coming years in order to protect Guam from increasingly complex threats emerging in China and North Korea. MDA had shipped its first AN/TPY-6 panel on a boat headed to the island last summer, planning to use it to track a threat launched from a C-17 plane in a first flight test of current capability coming together for the defense of Guam at the end of 2024. The new radar uses technology from MDA's Long-Range Discrimination Radar positioned in Alaska at Clear Space Force Base, which will have its own test next year ahead of declaring operational capability. The Guam Defense System will also rely on a variety of systems still in development, mostly within the Army. The Navy will provide technology and capability from its Aegis weapons system. The land service plans to bring to Guam currently fielded capabilities, like the Patriot system and its Integrated Battle Command System, or IBCS, that connects any sensor and shooter together on the battlefield, as well as Mid-Range Capability missile launchers, which were first fielded at the end of 2023. The Army will also incorporate Patriot's radar replacement, the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor, or LTAMDS, which was just approved for production, and its Indirect Fire Protection Capability launchers, which are reaching the end of the prototyping phase. With the termination of AN/TPY-6, for now, Hicks directed the MDA prioritize remaining Aegis Guam systems development funds 'toward delivering minimum viable Aegis C2 [command and control] and datalink capabilities to enable Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) engagements off remote track from AN/TPY-2 and LTAMDS over the JTMC [Joint Track Management Capability] bridge,' according to GAO's report. The Pentagon's memo required upgrading the JTMC bridge to address all missile threats from China and achieve a Joint Tactical Integrated Fire Control capability — the future joint track architecture for Guam — 'for coordinated battle management, combat identification and electronic protection,' the report states. Those upgrades should be completed no later than 2029. The memo also directed MDA to accelerate key command-and-control integration work, including getting the Army-operated Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, system to work within IBCS. Guam is home to a permanent THAAD battery called Task Force Talon, which serves as the critical component for defending the island against ballistic missile threats. Additionally, the Army and MDA 'shall integrate AN/TPY-2 measurement data into IBCS no later than 2030 and achieve full integration by 2033,' the report details. The MDA has long used AN/TPY-2 radars to track ballistic missiles, but Raytheon just delivered a new version to MDA with Gallium Nitride, or GaN, which gives it the ability to track more complex threats at greater ranges like hypersonic weapons. The first new radar with GaN will go to the Army's eight THAAD battery. The radars can be used in a forward-based mode, providing cuing data to systems like the Navy's Aegis ballistic missile defense system or the Army's Patriot. It serves as the primary radar for THAAD. The Army's new LTAMDS radar, also developed by Raytheon, has GaN technology as well.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Uncertainty Over AN/TPY-6 Guam Missile Defense Radar Emerges
In January, the U.S. military moved to halt work on the new AN/TPY-6 radar, one of seven key elements of the huge new air and missile defense architecture taking shape on Guam, and its current status is now unclear. This underscores other important, but still unanswered questions about the plans to better protect the extremely strategic U.S. island territory in the Western Pacific, including the total personnel required and which services they will come from. In a memo to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) on January 7, then-U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks directed the termination of all further development of AN/TPY-6, according to a report the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a Congressional watchdog, published last week. Hicks left the post President Donald Trump took office later that month, being succeeded first by Robert Salesses (in an acting capacity) and then by Stephen Feinberg. At least as of December 2024, what is currently being called the Guam Defense System (GDS) was expected to eventually consist of seven core components. In addition to the AN/TPY-6, these included: an array of ground-based missile launchers based on the Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS), SM-3 and SM-6 interceptors to go in those launchers, Mk 99 fire control systems (which includes AN/SPG-62 radar 'illuminators'), a Guam-specific version of the Aegis Ashore command and control system (the Aegis Guam System), and the Guam Command Center (GCC) facility. A single prototype AN/TPY-6, a Lockheed Martin design derived from that company's AN/SPY-7 Long-Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) in Alaska. Other components, including smaller radars and shorter-range interceptors, could also be part of the final GDS configuration. However, 'other than system experimentation efforts, further development of the AN/TPY-6 radar shall be terminated,' Hicks' memo said, per GAO's report. 'The MDA shall prioritize remaining Aegis Guam System development funds toward delivering minimum viable Aegis C2 [command and control] and datalink capabilities to enable Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) engagements off remote tracks from AN/TPY-2 and LTAMDS over the JTMC [Joint Track Management Capability] bridge.' The AN/TPY-2 is an existing ground-based air and missile defense radar primarily associated with the U.S. Army's Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile defense system, but that can also be used as a stand-alone sensor. The LTAMDS (Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor) is a new radar that the Army is working to field now, primarily as an upgrade for the Patriot surface-to-air missile system. 'The Joint Track Management Capability (JTMC) bridge' refers to command and control upgrades intended 'to address the full set of PRC [People's Republic of China] missile threats to Guam and to achieve a Joint Tactical Integrated Fire Control (JTIFC) capability for coordinated battle management, combat identification, and electronic protection,' the GAO report said, also citing Hicks' January memo. Hicks also called on MDA to 'retain the single AN/TPY-6 panel currently on-island, with all associated flight test equipment, and maintain it in its current form as an experimental asset, with potential to develop for operational use within the GDS architecture in the future,' according to GAO. GAO's report does note that 'a DOD official told us these changes in the then-deputy secretary's classified memorandum are not binding on the new administration,' but does not say whether or not Hicks' directive with regard to the AN/TPY-6 was subsequently reversed. No further details about what may have prompted the move to terminate work on the radar are provided, which does not appear to have been previously disclosed. The AN/TPY-6 was used, without any reported issues, during the GDS' first live intercept of a surrogate ballistic missile last December. That test also marked the first time the radar had supported an end-to-end live-fire engagement. TWZ has reached out to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, MDA, and Lockheed Martin for more information about the current status of the AN/TPY-6. Even if the immediate decision to axe the AN/TPY-6 as part of the GDS has been reversed, the fact that the U.S. military had moved to cancel it still raises questions about its future and the broader plans for vastly expanding air and missile defenses on Guam. The overall focus of GAO's recently published report was to highlight serious ongoing uncertainty around personnel and other infrastructure requirements for the new defensive architecture, which is set to make the skies over and around the U.S. island territory some of the most heavily defended airspace on Earth. 'DOD has established organizations to manage the deployment of GDS and designated lead services for sustainment and operations,' GAO's report noted. 'However, DOD lacks a strategy to transfer responsibilities to their lead organizations. As a result, DOD risks schedule delays for the deployment of GDS elements and incomplete plans for organization, training, personnel levels, and facilities, among other things,' according to GAO. 'Moreover, although the Army officially joined JRM [the Joint Region Marianas] in February 2024, the Army has not identified its long-term strategy to advocate for construction priorities and installation support from the other military services. Without a strategy, the Army may continue to face delays in approval of construction projects and risks deploying additional personnel without installation support services in place.' MDA has projected in the past that the 805 personnel will be needed to support GDS by 2027, and that the figure will grow to 1,044 by 2031, but 'senior military officials told us the draft statement is just a benchmark for the military services, because the services still need to validate and fund those requirements,' per GAO. 'Since planning for GDS began in fiscal year 2022, DOD has not fully identified the required number of personnel or completed a deployment schedule for GDS units.' GAO said disputes between the Army and Navy over roles and responsibilities for certain components of the GDS that were resolved late last year had been a factor. The table below shows the lead entities that have been in charge of developing each of the system's seven core components, as well as Army recommendations for managing the operation and sustainment of those elements in 2023, and the final decisions that then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks made in November 2024. All of this has cascading impacts on work to build new infrastructure to support the GDS. The recently published GAO report also highlighted the still seriously limited infrastructure currently available to the Army's Task Force Talon on Guam, which operates and maintains a THAAD battery on the island now, despite those forces having been in place since 2013. As it stands now, GAO says the goal is for the first elements of the GDS to be deployed by Fiscal Year 2027, which aligns with previous statements from U.S. officials, and the complete system is scheduled to be in place by Fiscal Year 2032. Any significant delays to that timeline could have larger ramifications. Since 2021, expanding air and missile defenses on Guam has been a centerpiece of larger U.S. military efforts to reorient itself to preparing for future large-scale conflicts, especially a potential high-end fight with China in the Pacific. Guam is a vital hub for U.S. air and naval operations in the Western Pacific. It is also an important location for staging ground forces for onward movement across the region. In turn, being able to adequately protect key facilities on the island, including Andersen Air Force Base, Naval Base Guam, and Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz, especially from a growing array of Chinese ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic threats, is seen as critical. Various tiers of drones are also a real and still evolving threat. Guam could be a target for other adversaries, as well. Concerns about increasingly longer-range North Korean ballistic missiles prompted Task Force Talon's initial deployment more than a decade ago. The GDS plans also reflect the U.S. military's persistent preference to focus on expanding active air and missile defenses, together with new distributed concepts of operations, over improved passive defenses, such as building new hardened aircraft shelters. Critics, including members of Congress, have been increasingly warning that not investing in additional hardened infrastructure puts American forces at significant risk, particularly if a high-end conflict in the Pacific with China were to break out. U.S. officials have made clear that they do expect to have to fight from places like Guam while under attack in any such scenario. You can read more about this heated debate, which TWZ has been following closely, here. Whatever the fate of AN/TPY-6 radar might be now, the U.S. military still clearly has significant work to do in finalizing its plans for ensuring Guam is as shielded as possible from growing air and missile threats. Contact the author: joe@
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Beneficiaries Outside Drive Time Standard No Longer Need Waiver to Stay in Tricare Prime
Beneficiaries who live within 100 miles of a military hospital or clinic but at least 30 minutes away by car no longer need to request a waiver to stay with Tricare Prime, the Defense Department's managed-care health program. Under the next-generation Tricare contracts that went into effect Jan. 1, patients who move to a location outside that access standard for primary care can choose to receive care at the DoD facility or, if they already receive care there, keep their primary care manager without seeking a waiver. According to the Defense Health Agency, beneficiaries who meet the criteria will receive a letter notifying them that their homes are outside the access-standard measure, but if they don't respond, they will remain with their current primary care managers, or PCMs, at their military treatment facility. Read Next: Hampton VA Grapples with Staff Shortages, Watchdog Report Finds Those who want to change primary care managers, however, can do so by following instructions in the letter. "This new approach will help prevent unnecessary coverage gaps and ensure families keep access to their PCMs," said Shane Pham, a DHA management and program analyst, in a news release last week. The change was among the requirements of the new contracts, known as T-5, which were issued to TriWest Healthcare Alliance in the Tricare West Region and Humana Military in the Tricare East Region on Jan. 1. The allowance also coincides with an effort at the Defense Department to bring family members and military retirees back into military hospitals and clinics to ensure that the facilities have enough patients to maintain provider proficiency and curb the rising costs of private-sector care. According to a memo issued Dec. 6, 2023, by then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, the DoD hopes to increase the number of patients seen at military treatment facilities by 7% by the end of 2026, or a total of 3.3 million patients. In a speech to uniformed and civilian federal health officials in March, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. Stephen Ferrara said the DoD is pursuing the efforts in order to create a high-functioning medical system. "The last thing that a family or that service member needs is to be worried about whether their family is getting adequate or high-quality care," Ferrara said. According to Tricare officials, the decision to drop the drive time waiver was made based on patient satisfaction surveys showing that many beneficiaries are willing to drive more than 30 minutes to keep their primary care doctors and would prefer not to switch physicians. If a Tricare Prime beneficiary moves more than 30 minutes from their PCM, their Tricare regional contract will contact all adult patients in the household by phone, text, mail and email to provide options for continuing their health coverage. Patients will have 90 days to decide what to do. If they now live more than 30 minutes but less than 100 miles away, they won't have to do anything to keep their Tricare Prime coverage and primary care manager. Or they can switch health plans -- to Tricare Select or the U.S. Family Health Program, if it is available in their region. If patients have moved more than 100 miles away from a Tricare Prime Service Area, they must decide within 90 days to switch to another plan. They will be dropped from Tricare Prime after 90 days and will be able to be seen at a military hospital or clinic only if space is available. Defense Health Agency officials urge all beneficiaries to ensure that their addresses are updated in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, or DEERS, and they also should check the email addresses and phone numbers the DoD has on file for accuracy. Since the contract changeover Jan. 1, Tricare providers and patients have experienced disruptions to patient care and payments, resulting in patients having to switch providers or delay care and prompting providers to take out loans to pay staff while they wait for reimbursements. The problems have caught the eye of lawmakers on Capitol Hill as well as military leadership, including the services' top enlisted leaders. During a hearing last week before the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees military construction, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy James Honea said he personally has received complaints from providers about the reimbursement delays. "The Defense Health Agency to their credit has worked diligently with me, with the contract, to have those bills paid as quickly as possible. But as we are continuing through this transformation, we are finding more and more places that we are challenged [to find] health care providers," Honea said. Last month, Republican Reps. John Rutherford and Aaron Bean of Florida wrote to David Smith, the acting DHA director, asking him to explain the delays and fix them. "It would be unacceptable for military families to lose access to critical care coverage. This crisis must be immediately rectified," they wrote. Related: Tricare Again Extends Deadlines for Beneficiaries in Western US After Contract Change
Middle East Eye
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
US: Pentagon executes massive online erasure of minority and women's contributions
The Pentagon has removed thousands of photos and contributions of people of colour and women to the US military from its website as part of the Trump administration's "war" on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), leaving error messages where the original web pages once were. When searching for content on the Department of Defence website, visitors can see web pages dealing with historical and current contributions by different races, ethnicities, women, and other minorities have been removed, prompting concerns about historical erasure. A black history search leads to 1,126 results, and many of the listed pages lead to a "404 - Page Not Found" error message. For example, clicking on a link entitled "Intrepid African American Soldiers Broke Barriers" yields an error message saying the page cannot be found. A multimedia tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American flying unit in the US military, has also been removed. The original web page recognised the actions of how the Tuskegee Airmen changed the history of the air force. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters A similar search for historical contributions by Native American military members led to 440 results, with many of the original links removed. For example, a web page highlighting Kiowa Veterans was no longer visible, along with an event where former Deputy Secretary of Defence Kathleen Hicks commemorated the contributions of Native American military personnel. Hicks was the highest-ranking woman to have served in the State Department and vacated her position when President Donald Trump came to power in January. Women - who historically struggled against glass ceilings in the military - have also suffered from attacks on DEI. Many of the 1,540 results on women's history were removed, including an article about how integral women are to the military and the work being done to diminish barriers. Another piece highlighting female achievements by the skydiving team was also purged. Contributions by Asian Americans and Latinos have also been decimated. Web pages talking about Pride - typically affirming the rights of Lesbian, Gays, Bisexuals, Trans and Queer people (LGBTQ) - had also been removed. Even though there are thousands of Muslim military personnel, web pages about the contributions of Muslims and Arab Americans were already scant, with no profiles of personnel found other than some posts about Ramadan iftar dinners. Diversity is not a strength Last week, the Defence Department came under fire for removing pages about an African American Medal of Honor and Japanese American service members. By yesterday, the Pentagon reinstated the pages, saying they had been removed in error, according to a report by The Guardian. Army Major General Charles Calvin Rogers was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1970, becoming the highest-ranking Black service member to receive the country's greatest military honour. He was wounded three times while serving in Vietnam. Last week, the term "medal" in the website address was changed to "Deimedal", fuelling a public outcry, referring to the medal being given simply as a DEI initiative and not for the merit of the achievements. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell defended the move at a briefing on Tuesday, saying, 'I think the president and the secretary have been very clear on this - that anybody that says in the Department of Defence that diversity is our strength is, is frankly, incorrect. Our shared purpose and unity are our strength. And I say this as somebody who led a combat platoon in Afghanistan that was probably the most diverse platoon that you could possibly imagine.' On 20 January, President Trump signed an executive order titled "Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing." It directs the director of the Office of Management and Budget to terminate all mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities relating to "diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility". Shortly afterwards, the Defence Department's top public affairs official sent a memo, seen by The Associated Press, asking all military services to meet a 5 March deadline to remove website postings, photos, news articles, videos, and any references that promote diversity, equity and inclusion. Also, in January, a note was released saying that the department would no longer be hosting celebrations or events related to cultural awareness months, including Black History Month; Women's History Month; Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month; Pride Month; National Hispanic Heritage Month; National Disability Employment Awareness Month; and National American Indian Heritage Month. It said that 'unity and purpose' were instrumental to the department's mission and efforts to 'divide the force and… erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution'. Service members and civilians are permitted to attend these events in an unofficial capacity outside of duty hours.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
What troops and retirees need to know about Tricare in 2025
Note: Whether it's health care, retirement benefits, family support and child care, VA benefits or other programs, getting smart about the rewards you have earned is worth your time. Although it is not yet clear to what extent federal cuts will affect DOD programs — including quality-of-life initiatives — these benefits were in place as of this writing. Visit this page for all of our latest coverage surrounding military and veteran pay and benefits. The 9.6 million Tricare beneficiaries have seen changes in the Department of Defense health care program, with new Tricare contracts that were implemented starting on Jan. 1, 2025. The new contractor for the West Region is TriWest Healthcare Alliance. The incumbent contractor for the East Region, Humana Government Business, has continued in that role. An additional 1.5 million beneficiaries were transferred to the West Region from six states in the East Region: Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin. The West Region now covers 26 states. The new contracts are designed to bring improvements for beneficiaries, according to defense health officials, such as more efficient health care referral transfers between the two regions; greater provider network flexibility; improved beneficiary choice; and enhanced telehealth appointments. However, as of March 1, Tricare beneficiaries and medical providers in both regions were still having widespread problems, affecting beneficiaries' access to the health care they need. Defense Health Agency and the Tricare contractors have been working to fix the problems. Meanwhile, after years of forcing some military beneficiaries to seek medical care in the Tricare private sector network, the Defense Department wants to attract patients back to military treatment facilities. Citing problems that have led to 'chronically understaffed military treatment facilities and dental treatment facilities,' then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks in 2024 directed sweeping changes to boost staffing at medical facilities and increase access to care for beneficiaries. Hicks laid out a plan to grow the number of patients who receive care in a military treatment facility by 7% by the end of 2026, compared to the number of beneficiaries in December 2022. That would mean 3.3 million people would be using the MTFs in three years, according to calculations. For example, officials are conducting a comprehensive review of all medical manpower and staffing; and plan to shuffle medical personnel to boost capacity at some locations. Some military families saw a rise in their health care costs in 2025. Active duty service members don't have any out-of-pocket costs. Generally, those who have been paying out-of-pocket for health care under Tricare in 2024 will pay extra in 2025, according to fee schedules released by the Defense Health Agency. For those who make co-payments for covered services such as primary care visits, specialty care outpatient visits and emergency room visits, some co-pays will go up by $1 to $3 a visit. Family members may have costs, depending on the Tricare health plan they are enrolled in, their sponsor's pay grade and when the sponsor entered active duty, the type of care they get and where they get it. There are no costs for covered preventive care visits. Those who pay annual enrollment fees will also see increases. For example, retirees who entered the military before 2018 will pay $744 to enroll their family in Tricare Prime, up from $726 in 2024. Annual deductibles will increase for some, which means the families will pay more out of pocket before Tricare kicks in. For example, active duty families in Tricare Select whose service member is E-4 and below and entered the military on or after Jan. 1, 2018, will pay $128 out of pocket before Tricare kicks in, an increase of $3 compared to 2024. Pharmacy costs did not increase in 2025 for Tricare beneficiaries who get their prescriptions filled at a retail pharmacy or through the mail-order program. There aren't co-payments for prescriptions filled at military pharmacies. In February, 2025, Kroger rejoined the Tricare retail pharmacy network. Active duty members pay nothing for their covered medications through military pharmacies, retail pharmacies in the Tricare network and through the home delivery benefit. The military pharmacy is still the lowest cost option for all military beneficiaries, because there's no cost for covered generic and brand-name drugs at these pharmacies. Under the Tricare Pharmacy Home Delivery policy, those enrolled in the automatic refill program must approve each refill so that they only receive the medications they need. Express Scripts, the administrator of the program, will let them know by phone, email or text that they have a refill coming up. Enrollees will then log into their account to confirm the prescription. Tricare expanded the telehealth program during the pandemic to make it easier for military beneficiaries to get care. It now covers telehealth visits over the phone as a permanent benefit. While there was a temporary waiver on patient costs for telehealth during the pandemic, patients now pay cost-shares and co-pays. Telehealth costs are similar to costs for in-person care. Tricare also covers the use of secure video conferencing to provide medically necessary services, allowing patients to connect with a provider using a computer or smartphone. Tricare offers 11 different options, with choices depending on the status of the military sponsor and the geographic location. It is open to active duty members; military retirees; National Guard and reserve members; spouses and children registered in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System; and certain others, including some former military spouses and survivors, as well as Medal of Honor recipients and their immediate families. Those entering the military or changing status — for example, from active duty to retired — should make sure they and their eligible family members are enrolled in the Tricare program of their choice. Those who do not enroll may only receive care at a military clinic or hospital on a space-available basis; medical care by civilian providers would not be covered. The one-month open season begins on the Monday of the second full week in November. During that time, you can enroll in a new Tricare Prime or Tricare Select plan or change your enrollment. If you're satisfied with your current Tricare health plan you don't have to take action. By law, there's a strict limitation on switching Tricare plans outside of open season. The exception to that rule is if there is a qualifying life event, such as the birth or adoption of a child, a move to a new duty station, a marriage or retirement. Open season does not apply to active duty members, who have full health coverage, or to retirees who are in Tricare for Life. Tricare beneficiaries fall into one of two categories set by law: Group A: Sponsors who entered the military before Jan. 1, 2018, and their dependents; Group B: Sponsors who entered the military on or after Jan 1, 2018, and their dependents. Those in Group A and Group B have different enrollment fees and out-of-pocket costs. Families of active duty, National Guard and reserve service members — as well as Guardsmen and reservists who aren't on active duty — are eligible for the Tricare Dental Program, which requires separate enrollment. Most retirees and their family members are eligible for dental and vision coverage under the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program, or FEDVIP, which is administered by the Office of Personnel Management and also requires separate enrollment. Tricare offers two core health care options: Tricare Prime and Tricare Select. All active duty members are required to enroll in Tricare Prime; they pay nothing out of pocket. Active duty families can also enroll in Tricare Prime without an enrollment fee. Prime beneficiaries are assigned a primary care manager, or PCM, at their local military treatment facility, or, if one is not available, they can select a PCM within the Tricare Prime civilian network. Specialty care is provided on referral by the PCM, either to specialists at a military facility or a civilian provider. Tricare Select is similar to a traditional fee-for-service health plan. Patients can see any authorized provider they choose, but must pay a deductible and co-pays for visits. Patients pay lower out-of-pocket costs when they receive care from a provider within the Tricare network. All Tricare programs have a cap on how much a family pays out of pocket each fiscal year, depending on the sponsor's status and the type of Tricare program used. Tricare Prime. Similar to a health maintenance organization, Tricare Prime has lower out-of-pocket costs but requires enrollees to use network providers and coordinate care through a primary care manager — a doctor, nurse practitioner or medical team. It's free to active duty members. Families enrolled in a Tricare Prime plan do not have to pay enrollment fees or co-payments unless they use the point-of-service option or fill a prescription outside of a military pharmacy. Retirees must pay an annual enrollment fee. Co-payments for medical visits are lower than other programs. Tricare Prime Remote. Service members who live and work more than 50 miles or an hour's drive from the nearest military treatment facility must enroll in Tricare Prime Remote. Family members are eligible if they live with an enrolled service member in a qualifying location, or they may use Tricare Select. Tricare Prime Overseas. This is a managed-care option for active duty members and their command-sponsored family members in nonremote locations. They have assigned primary care managers at a military treatment facility who provide most care and referrals for and coordination of specialty care. Tricare Prime Remote Overseas is a managed care option in designated remote overseas locations, with most care from an assigned primary care manager in the local provider network who provides referrals for specialty care. Activated National Guard and reserve members and their families may also enroll in these options while the sponsor is on active duty. Retirees and their families are not eligible. Tricare Select. This is a preferred provider plan — authorized doctors, hospitals and other providers are paid a Tricare-allowable charge for each service performed. Costs are higher for out-of-network providers, and certain procedures require pre-authorization. There is no enrollment fee for active duty families. Group A working age retirees are required to pay monthly enrollment fees. Co-pays vary by status and type of care. Tricare Reserve Select. Qualified Selected Reserve members can buy Tricare coverage when they are in drilling status — not mobilized. The program offers coverage similar to Tricare Select. Tricare Retired Reserve. 'Gray area' National Guard and reserve retirees who have accumulated enough service to qualify for military retirement benefits but have not reached the age at which they can begin drawing those benefits (usually age 60) can purchase this insurance, which offers coverage similar to Tricare Select. Tricare for Life. This wraparound program is for retirees and family members who are eligible for Tricare and Medicare. The provider files the claims with Medicare; Medicare pays its portion and then sends the claim to the Tricare for Life claims processor. Enrollees must enroll in Medicare Part A — free for those who paid Medicare taxes while working — and Part B — monthly premium required — to receive Tricare for Life. Tricare Young Adult. Unmarried dependent children who do not have private health insurance through an employer may remain in Tricare until age 26 under a parent's coverage via TYA Select or TYA Prime. Premiums are required for both. U.S. Family Health Plan. Beneficiaries who live in one of six designated areas can enroll in this as a Prime option. Those enrolled get all their care, including prescription drugs, from a primary care provider that the beneficiary selects out of a network of private doctors affiliated with one of the not-for-profit health care systems in the plan. Beneficiaries do not get care at military hospitals or clinics, or from Tricare network providers when enrolled in the U.S. Family Health Plan. Beneficiaries enroll in a Tricare plan in order to be covered for civilian health care. Those who don't enroll will only be able to get health care at a military clinic or hospital on a space-available basis. To be eligible for any of the Tricare plans, beneficiaries must first be enrolled in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System. Active duty members are automatically registered in DEERS when they join the military, but they must register eligible dependent family members. Service members should make sure the information is correct for their family members. Only military members can add or remove family members. This can be done through the local ID card office.
