Tricare question?

Question

I'll be visiting my hometown this weekend,and I need to see a doctor for a pink eye prescription. I have TRICARE, through my military husband. I never received a card or anything. If they DO accept tricare (will they in a non military town??) how do I prove it? I don't understand how it works???

Answer 1

Call Tricare [phone]

Answer 2

If you want the doctor to get paid you better square away your Tricare situation before you leave. YOU NEED to have a Tricare card and should be very concerned you don't have one. Go to the Tricare office on base or at your medical care facility and start asking some questions. You may not have Tricare and you may be assuming something that will just get you some medical bills you need to pay. Your hometown doctor CANNOT see you WITHOUT being referred by your current medical care provider and that requires a visit to them first, then they put the referral in the system and maybe 10 days later you will get the referral. BUT that will not happen because pink eye is far from something that is an emergency and all followup care can be taken care up through your current military care provider if you have one. The only thing Tricare will pay for out of town if you need it is emergency care at a civilian hospital IF there is no military treatment facility within 50 miles. Go ahead and see your hometown doctor, but you will be paying the full bill out of pocket. With Tricare you can't just run around going to any doctor you want when you want. You get to go to the one doctor Tricare assigned you to, military or maybe a civilian, and they are the ONLY ones that can refer you to see any other kind of doctor. You really need to go to the Tricare office WITH your husband because if you don't know this stuff neither does he and you need a Tricare education quick. Accepting Tricare has nothing to do with what you are asking about. Tricare will not pay and you will end up paying in the end.

Answer 3

Hmmm...well, while my husband was deployed, I decided I needed my teeth cleaned. I was in a non-military area, so I just looked up which dentists accepted Tricare (or I think it's called United Concordia), made an appointment and went in and showed them my ID card. I never had to pay out of pocket apart from the small percentage of the procedures I had done. (Of course this was dentist work, but I am sure it's similiar for regular healthcare).

So my suggestion, call Tricare and ask what doctors are covered in your area and go see one of those doctors!!!

Call the number corresponding with where you're husband is stationed...

HealthNet Federal Services, LLC
(North Region) 1.877.874.2273

Humana Military Healthcare Services, Inc.
(South Region) 1.800.444.5445

TriWest Healthcare Alliance
(West Region) 1.888.874.9378

Answer 4

You need to contact the TRICARE in the region you are living in, and let them know you are going to be in another area for a time. If you don't, and see a doctor, you could have to pay because you didn't inform them you were going to a doctor out of area. They will also be able to provide you with a list of doctors that do accept TRICARE.

Answer 5

you have to call tricare to get approval to be seen else where. if you don't then you will have to pay or wait to get reimbursed. You should have gotten a card in the mail. You don't really use it for anything unless you go to the civilian(which most of us do not do) Dr but you may end up paying for the scrip discounted of course. Call the number and they will give you all the info that you need. The tricare number and explain your problem they will help you out.

Answer 6

You call around and ask the doctor's office if they take tricare, thats all you do and then you show your military ID card, which they should take a copy of on their copy machine and thats it, they may ask for your hubby's social securtiy number to, because thats how your insurabce is in the system in tricare so if you don't know your hubby's SSN by heart, you may run into problems, but thats all you need, ask if they take insurance, your your husband's SSN and have your military ID crad ready.

Answer 7

the number for tricare south is 1 888 444 5445
call them have them direct you to the right region , then call them and tell them to fax you a copy or maybe you can even print one right off their webpage. if your hubby is with you take his tricare care card along and your military ID.
also you can find a provider online or over their automatic phone service.
we are a active duty family stuck in recruiting and 50 miles+ from any military treatment facility . so i deal with civilian docs on a reg. basis.
my youngest daughter was born in a civilian hospital.

Answer 8

All you need is your ID card. It's the same with the pharmacy. If you are in TriCare Prime you might need to call for permission to be seen out of network. If you use TriCare Standard there should be no problems.

Answer 9

according to tricare unless its an emergency (immediate threat to life, limb or eyesight) then you have to call them before you can go to a doctor other than your PCM. they classify doctors visits that cant wait a few days but dont fall under the definition of an emergency as "urgent care" ....(also if you go to a civilian er without calling them first no matter what the reason you have to contact your PCM or tricare within 24 hours of your release of they wont pay) when you call them they will tell you what doctor to go toin your hometown......you will have to pay a copay on your prescriptin from the civilian pharmacy also (if your TC prime its $3 for generic, $9 for the brand name meds) you can go to www.tricareonline.com and find the number you need to call for your region where you are at. this is the guidelines for getting care while travelling from the tricare site

http://www.tricare.mil/mybenefit/home/LifeEvents/Traveling/US?country=United+States&zipCode=23665&plan=TRICARE+Prime&status=Active+Duty+Family+Member

Answer 10

contact tricare (find the number from the website) and contact them and they will tell you who the tricare providers are in the area and get you set up to go to the doctor.