TRICARE is the health care program for active duty and retirees of the uniformed services, their families, and survivors. TRICARE's primary objectives are to optimize the delivery of health care services in the military's direct care system for all Military Health System beneficiaries and attain the highest level of patient satisfaction through the delivery of a world-class health care benefit.
TRICARE brings together the health care resources of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard and supplements them with networks of civilian health care professionals to provide access to high quality health care services while maintaining the capability to support military operations.
United Healthcare Military and Veterans is the TRICARE Managed Care Support Contractor for the West Region. United Healthcare assists beneficiaries with enrollment, claims, authorizations, payments and referrals. They also answer any benefits questions beneficiaries may have. For more information about TRICARE Network Providers and services available visit their website at www.uhcmilitarywest.com or call 1-877-988-9378.
Emergency Care
All TRICARE beneficiaries, in the event of a life, limb, or eyesight-threatening emergency, should call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department for care.
Urgent Care
In an urgent situation, contact your PCM's office for same day appointments or advice on how to handle the immediate situation. The Urgent Care Pilot Program begins on May 23, 2016. This pilot will allow you to get two urgent care visits per fiscal year October 1 - September 30 without a referral from your PCM.
Visit the United Healthcare website to
Nurse Advice Line
If it's after hours or you're not sure if you need to see a doctor, call TRICARE's Nurse Advice Line 24/7. Call 1-800-TRICARE (874-2273)—Option 1 to talk to a registered nurse who can:
- Answer your urgent care questions
- Give you health care advice
- Help you find a doctor
- Schedule next-day appointments at military hospitals and clinics
The Nurse Advice Line is available to all TRICARE Beneficiaries in the U.S. except those enrolled in the US Family Health Plan. Beneficiaries who live overseas can call the Nurse Advice Line for health care advice when traveling in the U.S., but must coordinate care with their Overseas Regional Call Center.
You may also contact the regional contractor's toll-free number for instructions on how and where to access urgent care.
TRICARE Online
TRICARE Online, the Department of Defense's online healthcare portal, provides those who are eligible with quick and easy access to medical and pharmacy services at certain military treatment facilities. To see which services are available at your location, visit TRICAREonline.com to get started.
TRICARE Online allows authorized individuals to use a Common Access Card or DoD Self-Service log on to:
--Schedule, view and cancel primary care or certain specialty appointments at military facilities;
--Request prescription refills for military facility pickup or schedule home delivery, and;
--View, download and print laboratory results, outpatient medication profiles and allergy profiles
You can also create an account by going to TRICAREonline.com and follow the steps under "Create Account." Those using a CAC must register their CAC before logging in. Follow the prompts on the site to get started.
Supreme Court's ruling on National Healthcare Reform has no impact on TRICARE
TRICARE's commitment to providing the best possible health care to its more than 9.7 million beneficiaries remains unchanged regardless of the Supreme Court's ruling on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). TRICARE and TRICARE Young Adult are authorized by an independent set of statutes, and remain under sole authority of the Defense Department and the Secretary of Defense.
TRICARE provides coverage for pre-existing conditions and serious illnesses; offers an array of preventive care services with no cost shares; maintains reasonable out-of-pocket costs with no or low deductibles and copayments; and there are no annual or lifetime caps on coverage. For more information about TRICARE's covered clinical preventive services, go to www.tricare.mil/preventivecare.
The National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed into law in January 2011, led to the implementation of TRICARE Young Adult (TYA) in May 2011. TYA gives eligible uniformed services dependents under 26 who are unmarried, and not eligible for their own employer-sponsored health care coverage the option to purchase TYA. As of May 31, 2012, more than 17,000 beneficiaries are signed up for TYA plans - 11,171 in TYA Standard, and 6,407 in TYA Prime. For more information about TYA and how to purchase it, go to www.tricare.mil/tya.
Additional resources:
TRICARE Dental (Toll free): 1-(800)-866-8499
TRICARE Dental for Retirees (Toll free): 1-(888)-838-8737
There are special rules on certain types of care. To find out if a particular service or procedure is covered by TRICARE, or find out more information on emergency and urgent care, visit TRICARE Smart: TRICARE Products Online
Location: Level 2 (2nd Floor), Center hallway adjacent to the Pharmacy