Tricare suppliment

[Ronbo]

My wife and I started tricare in March. I have Medicare. My wife needs a suppliment. I don’t want one that pays only 85% of allowable. I see that having me pay money when it is used. I want one that pays 100% after tricare. Any recommendation? Can I use an insurance broker for this or is it out of their realm since it is for tricare?

[Chalkie]

So let's be clear here. You are on Medicare and Tricare for Life? Your wife is not yet Medicare eligible? If she (or you) are eligible for Tricare Prime, then pay the premiums for her. Your out of pocket will be minimal and I truthfully am not sure of anything that can be SECONDARY to Tricare. There may be some, but normally Uncle says that if there is other insurance then Tricare must be secondary. If someone can correct me on that, please, feel free. 

[jorddarb]

I’m a little confused too.   I am under the impression that Tricare for life is secondary to Medicare.

[lenp]

Assuming your medicare and tricare for life - YOU are good to go and should not see any out of pocket as long as your using medicare approved providers AND the services your receiving are covered.

Your wife (assuming she is not medicare eligible) can get a supplement (or at least I did years ago) from various insurers.  

Unless things have changed significantly when I had only tricare (not tricare for life) there was an out of pocket maximum per year of $3000.  My premiums for the supplement (through the Fleet Reserve Association) was close to $1400 a year so i elected to  self ensure and take the risk.  Not sure what the maximum is today.

Lenp

[Ray,IN]

2 hours ago, jorddarb said:

I’m a little confused too.   I am under the impression that Tricare for life is secondary to Medicare.

Chalkie is correct, as are you. Tricare is secondary to other medical insurance policies. If the OP purchases another policy Tricare pays last-if anything is left to pay. For the OP's wife, she is not eligible for Tricare yet, so until she is, a Medicare supplemental policy may be advantageous. A Medicare Advantage policy is another topic.

[Rover]

I had a very good supplement to Tricare through USAA. It’s been a few years, before Obamacare, but at the time was not very expensive. It did have exclusions for prexesting conditions (which I don’t think is allowed now) that might make it more expensive now. You might check and see if they still offer it. The person eligible for membership in USAA has to join first I think before you can find out about the insurance, or maybe just before you enroll in the insurance. Good luck.

Vicki

 

[Ronbo]

Preexisting conditions can be excluded on a suppliment. 

[RV_]

Once retired military reach 65 they are automatically enrolled in Medicare and pay about $100-$140 a month for Medicare part B. once both spouses are 65 they each pay that $135 part B each. No supplement needed. But once you get Medicare you go on a mailing list from every podunk supplemental insurance company in the world. You don't need them at all. Tricare IS the supplement to Medicare. If you you've paid $3000 in any year total in copays the rest of that year is 100% covered by Tricare. So no matter the medical expenses, we never pay more than $3k in any year.

[DJW]

RV

The way I found to get off those mailing lists was to stuff the whole thing back into their no postage due envelope  write on the applications "NO Thank You Please remove from mailing list" cross everything out and mail it back to them on their dime.  It takes 30 seconds but it is worth it.  You get the same kind of stuff when you buy a house for mortgage insurance.

Dennis

[Ronbo]

8 hours ago, RV_ said:

If you you've paid $3000 in any year total in copays the rest of that year is 100% covered by Tricare. So no matter the medical expenses, we never pay more than $3k in any year.

Makes me want to keep my current Medicare suppliment. I started Tricare in March. I have a suppliment that costs me $120 per month. I never pay more than the small Medicare annual deductible, I think it is around $147, per year. The suppliment picks up 100% after that. A lot less than the $3000 before tricare steps in.

[Ray,IN]

6 hours ago, Ronbo said:

Makes me want to keep my current Medicare suppliment. I started Tricare in March. I have a suppliment that costs me $120 per month. I never pay more than the small Medicare annual deductible, I think it is around $147, per year. The suppliment picks up 100% after that. A lot less than the $3000 before tricare steps in.

I suspect you mis-read RV's reply. I've never encountered  $3,000 in co- payments or non-covered bills, even when I had open-heart surgery and bypass surgery  5 years later; nor when  DW was hospitalized for 3 months due to an auto accident, including 3 major surgeries.

Edited August 6, 2018 by Ray,IN

[Rover]

I’m not sure what RV is referring to in regard to $3000, but I’ve been on Medicare and TFL for 10 years and haven’t paid any copays except for prescriptions from Express Scripts. Some years I didn’t even pay the Medicare deductible. TFL picked up everything. I did like it much better before Express Scripts raised the copay amounts. Some medications I pay more for now than what they cost Express Scripts but I guess it all balances out. I shouldn’t complain. With all of my health issues I am very thankful for the insurance we have.

Vicki

 

[RV_]

Ronbo,

I was referring to the preMedicare Tricare catastrophic cap in answer to the suggestion to the couple who like us had me in TFL, and her in Tricare only. Perhaps we've been lucky but we had Tricare standard and rarely had to pay thd $150.00 Annual fee each. We would rather keep all our money which we did most years. We could easily afford $3k spread out over a year or lump sum. If we were sickly we might. But we also buy our cars two years old and low miles and only carry liability, uninsured motorist, and the key, non-collision comprehensive. We've done that for the 45 years we were married and me before that from 16. Saved the outrageous collision coverage and been hit parked with no one in it, and the wife rear ended once and T-boned once. With what we've saved just on finance charges for cars and houses makes us way ahead.

So I was just commenting that unless they have zero savings for rainy days, the worst that could happen is $3k, less than the cost of orthodontic work and braces. Or the cost of a Zero turn mower, but much less than a bass boat or 4 wheeler.

But those choices are for each to make.

Once on TFL Tricare is the supplement. We're paying monthly for part B almost what we paid annually in enrollment for Tricare standard back in the day.

Hope that helps.