Getting out, military health issues - Air Force Times

Uniformed Services Family Health Plan

Military beneficiaries — including retirees 65 or older, their dependents and the dependents of active-duty members who live near former Public Health Service hospitals — are eligible to enroll in the Uniformed Services Family Health Plan. Under Tricare, these facilities are called “designated providers.”

Participants must live within the designated provider’s area to enroll in this plan, which provides a wide range of coverage at little out-of-pocket cost.

In exchange, they must agree not to use other military or government health care facilities unless it is an emergency or USFHP refers the patient to such a facility.

The program offers preventive services such as immunizations, physical examinations and prescription drug coverage. Patients can transfer between Prime and USFHP. Prime patients enrolled at a military hospital, clinic or civilian practice can change at any time to the Prime program offered by USFHP.

Beneficiaries can change enrollment twice during an enrollment year, but only if the second transfer is back to the site of the original designated provider. There is no fee for switching.

If beneficiaries are transferred to an area without a USFHP facility, they can withdraw from the plan and go back to using military facilities, Medicare or Tricare. In areas such as Seattle, where both options are available, they can choose which plan to use.

Unlike in Tricare, retirees over age 65 do not need to have Medicare Part B in order to participate in the USFHP.

The USFHP operates through six groups:

• Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Northeaster New York: — Martin’s Point Health Care, (888) 241-4556.

• Maryland, Washington, D.C., and surrounding areas — Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, (800) 808-7347.

• Massachusetts and Rhode Island — Brighton Marine Health Center, (800) 818-8589.

• New York and New Jersey — St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers, (800) 241-4848.

• Texas and Louisiana — CHRISTUS Health, (800) 678-7347.

• Washington — PacMed Clinics, (888) 958-7347.

Contact: www.usfhp.org.