ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Military retirees and eligible beneficiaries who use Tricare have until Dec. 9 to enroll in or make changes to their health care coverage.

Tricare open season, which began Nov. 10, closes on Dec. 9. During this period, beneficiaries who use Tricare Prime, Tricare Select or the U.S. Family Health Plan can opt to stay on their plan, enroll in a plan or change plans. Changes go into effect Jan. 1.

Beneficiaries who are satisfied with their plan don’t need to do anything—their coverage will continue automatically for 2026.

In a letter to Tricare beneficiaries in the West Region, the director of the Defense Health Agency offered several steps to troubleshoot the transition to the new contractor, TriWest Healthcare Alliance.

Beneficiaries who use Tricare in the West Region now have more time to update their payment information.

On Jan. 1, TriWest Healthcare Alliance became the new West Region contractor, replacing Health Net Federal Services. Tricare also moved six states from the East Region to the West Region—they are Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin.

Humana Military remains the contractor for the East Region.

Defense Department leaders are focused on improving medical readiness and access to care in the Military Health System, the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs said.

“The [Defense Health Agency] is a new enterprise, … so we are in [a] growing stage,” Dr. Lester Martinez-Lopez said July 30 during an Association of the U.S. Army Noon Report webinar. “There are a lot of negotiations between the services and Defense Health Agency to make sure that … we're going to deliver the right care to every service member that is wounded or injured.”

An upcoming Association of the U.S. Army webinar will focus on how the Military Health System is working to improve care for service members, families and veterans.

Military medical transformation, turning hospitals and clinics over to the Defense Health Agency, continues while COVID-19-related missions continue to be a major effort, the Army surgeon general told Congress.