Tricare Prime fees for retirees to increase in October
SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — Annual enrollment fees for Tricare Prime will rise for military retirees and their families later this year, Tricare Management Activity officials announced this month.
The new fees go into effect Oct. 1, the first day of fiscal 2013, a Tricare news release said. Individual retirees will now be charged $269.28 for a year of coverage and families will be charged $538.56, up from $260 and $520 for those who joined the program since the beginning of the 2012 fiscal year, and $230 and $460 for those who joined prior.
The new fees are based on the cost-of-living adjustment retirees received in 2012, the release said.
Enrollees can pay their fees monthly, quarterly or annually. However, Tricare cautioned that, in most cases, enrollment fees are non-refundable, and Congress could change the fees in the 2013 budget, so annual payments are discouraged.
Active-duty servicemembers and their families have access to the program at no cost, the release said. Survivors of deceased active-duty sponsors, as well as medically retired servicemembers and their dependents, are exempt from fee increases.
