Do You Need to Accept Medicare If Your Spouse Is on Active Military Duty & You Have Tricare Prime?

Medicare is public health insurance provided by the federal government to senior citizens and those receiving disability benefits. TRICARE is military health insurance. TRICARE provides service for people who are active duty military members or retirees and their families. Enrollment in Medicare Part A is not necessary to keep your TRICARE coverage. However, when you do enroll, depending on your situation, you also might need to enroll in Part B to keep your TRICARE coverage.

Medicare Part B

• Medicare Part B is medical insurance coverage provided by the federal government for people who are 65 years of age or more, or for those who are disabled and receive Social Security Disability benefits. Medicare Part B is not free, but if you have already retired you are automatically enrolled in Part B. Since you must pay monthly premiums for its coverage, you are allowed to drop it by returning your card to the Social Security office. (You must do this as soon as you receive it.) In some cases, you might be required to keep your Part B coverage, such as if you have employer-provided insurance that requires you to do so or if you have TRICARE coverage.

Medicare Part B and TRICARE

• You are generally required to enroll in Medicare Part B if you are receiving TRICARE coverage and you have Medicare Part A. Those who are 65 years of age are eligible to receive Part A. If you are retired, you are required to enroll in Part B to keep your TRICARE coverage. The same applies to your spouse and children. However, if you are still an active duty service member, you may be eligible for some exceptions that allow you to enroll in Part B later.

Active Duty

• If you are an active duty service member or the spouse or dependent child of an active duty service member, an exception applies: you do not need to enroll in Part B to keep your TRICARE coverage while you (or your spouse or parent) are on active duty. However, you do need to sign up for Medicare Part B before the active duty service member retires. If you are older than 65 years of age or disabled, you have up to eight months to sign up for Part B starting from the moment the active duty service member retired. Otherwise, you must pay a late enrollment penalty.

TRICARE and Other Medicare

• You are not required to sign up for other Medicare coverage, but you can do so if you choose. If you enroll in other coverage, such as prescription drug coverage (Medicare Part D), your Medicare coverage always pays before TRICARE. If you join a private plan through Medicare Part C, your TRICARE coverage and your Part C plan coverage work their benefits to decide who pays first and when. Remember that if you are an active duty service member who has not yet retired you are not required to enroll in any Medicare plan if you do not desire to do so.