KateHorrell

Helping Military Families Make The Most of Their Money

Tricare Open Season: How To Pick The Right Tricare For Your Family


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It’s that time of year again: OPEN SEASON. This year’s Tricare Open Season runs from Monday, 11 November 2019 (that’s Monday!) through Monday, 9 December 2019. Be sure to select what Tricare plan you want to use for 2020 during the open season, or you’re stuck with what you had in 2019 unless you have… | Read More…

Everything About Tricare Costs and Fees 2019 and 2020


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Update 29 August 2019: Tricare has decided/realized/whatever that the Prime enrollment fees DO apply to your catastrophic cap.  Tricare can be more confusing than you’d think, especially if you’re used to being treated at Medical Treatment Facilities (MTF) and you start seeing civilian providers. And it doesn’t help that the civilian providers often don’t know… | Read More…

Kate Rants: Why Can’t Tricare Keep Their Provider Lists Up To Date?


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Last year, my daughter was looking for a new specialist. She’s away at college, and learning how to do all sorts of things for herself. She found a provider, and went to the Humana website to see if the provider was in-network. The first time she looked, the provider was on the list, so she… | Read More…

Military Retiree Medical: Tricare Prime, Select, or USFHP?


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One of the big questions during military retirement is: Which Tricare health care coverage should I choose? Or maybe you’ve been retired for a while, and you’re wondering if the Tricare health plan you’re using is the right one for your situation? Or you’re moving to a new area and need to figure out your… | Read More…

DC Area Active Duty Family Tricare Options: Prime, Select, Or Johns Hopkins US Family Health Plan?


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This entire article is for Active Duty family members. For a similar conversation for retirees, see this article. Move to the greater Washington, D.C. area and one of your first questions will be: Which health care coverage should I choose? Or maybe you’ve lived here for a while, and you’re wondering if the Tricare health… | Read More…

Kate Rants: Why Is Tricare Still Messed Up?


This post may contain affiliate links, from which I may earn revenue to support this free site. All opinions are my own, and I only promote products that I use and love!

I’m feeling a little crankly this morning. This whole Tricare open season has me stressed about whether to switch to Tricare Select, and I’ve been spending a ton of time comparing the costs and benefits and trying to figure it all out. Which is ridiculous, because this is already my full-time job and I should… | Read More…

Vision Insurance for Military Families (Currently Serving and Retired)


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Starting in 2019, military and retiree families will be able to purchase vision insurance through the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP). Depending on your family’s situation, vision insurance can be a great way to lower your out-of-pocket spending on vision care, glasses and contacts. If you’re interested in taking advantage of a… | Read More…

New Tricare Rule: No Mid-Year Plan Switching


This post may contain affiliate links, from which I may earn revenue to support this free site. All opinions are my own, and I only promote products that I use and love!

Because Tricare, the “open season” doesn’t “actually” apply this year. Under the federal law that created the changes, the entire year of 2018 is a “grace period.” So you can actually switch back and forth through 31 December 2018, no matter what you’ve been told. Isn’t that special? Starting in 2019, you won’t be able… | Read More…

How To Pick A New Retiree Dental Plan


This post may contain affiliate links, from which I may earn revenue to support this free site. All opinions are my own, and I only promote products that I use and love!

*This post is part of a membership campaign for MetLife FEDVIP Dental Plan. I am receiving a fee for this post; however, the opinions expressed in this post are my own. I am in no way affiliated with MetLife and do not earn a commission or percent of sales.* With the changes in the retiree… | Read More…

Everything About Tricare Young Adult


This post may contain affiliate links, from which I may earn revenue to support this free site. All opinions are my own, and I only promote products that I use and love!

One of the trickiest parts of having young adult children is making sure that they have access to health insurance. While the Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandated that insurance companies extend children’s coverage to age 26, that mandate doesn’t apply to Tricare because technically Tricare isn’t insurance. And federal law prohibits kids from remaining on… | Read More…

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Disclaimer

Kate does not represent the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or any government agency. This blog is strictly for informational and entertainment purposes only. The content on this site should not be considered professional financial or legal advice. I may receive compensation through affiliate or advertising relationships from products mentioned on this site. All reviews on this site represent the personal opinions of the author. All references to third party products, rates, and offers may change without notice.