Tricare Prime Advantages

TRICARE Prime is TRICARE's version of a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). When you enroll in Prime, you choose a Primary Care Manager (PCM) who is your primary doctor for as long as you are enrolled in the plan. Of course, you may change your PCM if you wish.

TRICARE is a health benefit program for all seven uniformed services: the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, Public Health Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. To use TRICARE, you must be listed in DEERS as being eligible for military health care benefits.

TRICARE Standard and TRICARE Extra allow you to manage your own health care and give you the freedom to seek care from any TRICARE-authorized provider you choose. TRICARE Standard and TRICARE Extra are available to eligible beneficiaries who are not active duty service members and who are not able to, or choose not to, enroll in a TRICARE Prime option. There are no enrollment forms or fees, but you will have an annual deductible for outpatient services and cost-shares for most services. A deductible is the total amount you pay each year before TRICARE pays anything. A cost-share is the percentage or portion of costs that you pay for inpatient or outpatient care once your deductible is met.
With TRICARE Standard, you choose TRICARE-authorized providers outside of the TRICARE network and pay higher cost-shares. With TRICARE Extra, you choose providers within the TRICARE network, where available, and pay lower