From Military.com:
“Retirees to Pay More for
Tricare Enrollment While Pharmacy Copays Rise for All in 2022”
Military families and retirees
who use retail pharmacies or the Tricare mail-order delivery system for their
medications will see an increase in copayments in 2022, according to a notice
to be published Tuesday in the Federal Register. Likewise, military retirees
still considered to be working age -- those under age 65 who are not old enough
for Medicare and Tricare for Life -- can expect to pay more in health care
enrollment fees, although the exact amount of the bump has yet to be
determined.
Prescriptions for all Tricare
beneficiaries at retail pharmacies will cost $14 for a 30-day supply for a
generic drug, up from $11; $38 for a brand-name medication, up from $33; and
$68 for a non-formulary drug not listed in Tricare's list of covered
medications, up from $60. Eligible patients can save money by using military
pharmacies, which charge no copayments, or they can trim costs of regularly
prescribed medications by using Tricare's mail-order pharmacy, managed by Express
Scripts.
Copayments for the mail-order
pharmacy also will see an increase. The cost of a generic prescription will
rise from $10 to $12 for a 90-day supply, and from $29 to $34 for a brand-name
drug for a 90-day script. Non-formulary drugs will cost $68.
Annual enrollment fees for
Tricare Prime and Select also are expected to rise for career retired service
members and their families, but the amount of the increase has yet to be
determined because it is based on the calculated cost-of-living adjustment for
retired military pay, which is usually published in mid-October. The enrollment
fee increase is expected to be significant this year as military retirees could
see the largest jump in their retirement pay in nearly 40 years. As of June,
the projected cost-of-living, or COLA, increase was 5.1%, meaning that both
retirement pay and Tricare Prime enrollment fees could rise by that percent as
well, give or take a few tenths.
Currently, military personnel who
retired before Jan. 1, 2018, known as Group A retirees, pay $303 per year for
an individual and $606 per year for a family. Those designated as Group B
retirees entered service on or after Jan. 1, 2018, and have left military
service, mainly medical retirees and their family members. This group currently
pays annual enrollment fees for Tricare Prime of $366 per individual and $732
per family.
Retirees in Group A who use
Tricare Select began paying annual enrollment fees this year, $150 for an
individual and $300 for a family, while Group B retirees' enrollment fees for
Select are $471 for an individual or $942 for a family. Both groups are subject
to the COLA adjustment and will see increases to their fees. Surviving family
members of sponsors who died on active duty or service members who medically
retired before Jan. 1, 2018, and their families who are enrolled in Tricare
Prime are exempt from the increases as long as they remain in that health
program.
Tricare for Life beneficiaries
don't pay anything for that program, which acts as a secondary payer to
Medicare. But they are likely to see increased cost in their health care as
well, since they are required to have Medicare Part B, which carries monthly
premiums based on income. Medicare Part B premiums are expected to increase
based on the COLA. In addition to pharmacy copay increases and enrollment fee
hikes, some specialty populations within the Tricare system also will pay more,
including reservists, young adults and transitioning service members. Open
Season this year is scheduled to begin Nov. 8 and end Dec. 13. During this
period, eligible beneficiaries can enroll in Tricare Prime or Select if they
have other insurance or change plans. If they are satisfied with their current
Tricare health plan, they can do nothing and remain enrolled. If they don't
make a change during Open Season, beneficiaries must wait until a
"qualifying life event," such as losing health insurance provided by
another insurer, retiring, getting married or divorced, having a baby or
adopting, moving or aging out of Tricare. More than 4.7 million beneficiaries
are enrolled in Tricare Prime, and nearly 1.7 million patients use Tricare
Select. An additional 2.1 million beneficiaries use Tricare for Life. Have more
questions about Tricare? Phone numbers and more information can be found on
Tricare's website.
^ These changes will just make
things harder for US Veterans and their Family. ^
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