Tricare Help: With so many uninsured, spread word about Tricare - Getting out, military health issues - Air Force Times

Tricare Help: With so many uninsured, spread word about Tricare

The 9.4 million Tricare beneficiaries make up about 3 percent of the U.S. population. Today, almost 50 million Americans are uninsured.

Take 3 percent of that 50 million, and it’s a statistical probability that 1.5 million people out there are eligible for Tricare — and don’t know it.

Could one of them be at your dinner table this holiday season?

Spread the word to those who may be eligible for Tricare and don’t know it, including those in some often overlooked categories:

• Unmarried children under age 21 of active-duty, retired or deceased members. That also includes children born out of wedlock, even overseas.

• Children who become physically or mentally disabled and unable to work before reaching age 21. Regardless of their current age, they might still be eligible — now and for the rest of their lives.

• Anyone who retired before 1966, or their widows.

• National Guard or reserve retirees age 60 or older.

Along with those mentioned above, I have to wonder how many shelter workers, nursing home workers, eldercare volunteers, day care workers, recreation center directors, religious leaders and even social workers don’t know about Tricare, or that some of their clients may be eligible.

Don’t forget to tell any police officers you know. They probably see more of the basic human condition than everyone else combined.

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A primer

Here’s what to tell people if you think they might be eligible for Tricare:

• The Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System is the central point for information about Tricare eligibility — a computerized database of all Defense Department beneficiaries and the benefits to which each is entitled by federal law. Its toll-free number, nationwide, is 800-538-9552.

• DEERS is the place to ask all questions concerning Tricare eligibility. It cannot provide legal advice or assistance, nor can it provide information about the Tricare program, its benefits or claims. But it will tell you where to get that information.

• DEERS can tell you whether you meet the requirements established by federal law to be eligible for Tricare. If it believes you do, it will tell you whom to contact next.

• Then, the only way to be sure is to apply for Tricare. Only the uniformed services have the final authority to determine whether a particular person is eligible for Tricare.

Write to Tricare Help, Times News Service, 6883 Commercial Drive, Springfield, VA 22159; or tricarehelp@militarytimes.com. In e-mail, include the word “Tricare” in the subject line and do not attach files. Get more Tricare help at our Tricare blog.