TRICARE Open Season

During TRICARE Open Season, you have three choices.

1. Keep your plan. You don’t need to do anything to stay in your current plan. It will continue if you’re still eligible.
2. Join a plan. If you qualify for TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select but don’t have it yet, you can sign up now.
3. Switch plans. If you already have TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select, you can change to a different plan. You can also switch between single and family coverage.

Important: If T-5 changes affect you, you may need to take extra steps. Check the “T-5 Regional Contract Changes” section for more details.

Am I eligible to participate in TRICARE Open Season?

You’re eligible to participate if you’re currently enrolled in or eligible for a TRICARE Prime option, including USFHP, or TRICARE Select.

Open season doesn’t apply to active duty service members. It doesn’t apply to TRICARE For Life — coverage is automatic if you have Medicare Part A and Part B. Open season also doesn’t apply to premium-based plans. You can purchase the following plans at any time throughout the year: 

• TRICARE Reserve Select 
• TRICARE Retired Reserve
• TRICARE Young Adult

If you aren’t currently enrolled in a TRICARE Prime option or TRICARE Select and would like to enroll in one of these plans, you can visit Eligibility to learn if you qualify.

How can I enroll in a health plan?

If you aren’t currently enrolled in a TRICARE plan, there are three ways to enroll.

• Online: Use the Beneficiary Web Enrollment portal in milConnect.
• By Phone: Call your regional contractor or designated provider:
• East Region and West Region: Find contact information in the “How can I change my health care plan?” section below.
• USFHP: Find your designated provider number.
• Overseas: Call International SOS with your country-specific number.

• By mail or fax: Download the region-specific form for the plan you wish to enroll in. Then send it to your regional contactor or designated provider.
• TRICARE Prime forms (DD Form 2876)—includes USFHP
• TRICARE Select forms (DD Form 3043)

How can I change my health plan?

Do you live in the U.S.? You won’t be able to make TRICARE plan changes in the Beneficiary Web Enrollment portal in milConnect from Oct. 28 through Dec. 31 this year.

In the U.S., you can enroll by:

• By Phone: Call your regional contractor or designated provider:
• East Region: Call Humana Military at 800-444-5445.
• West Region: Are you making a change during Open Season that's effective Jan.1, 2025? Starting on Nov. 11, call TriWest Healthcare Alliance. Are you making a change following a qualifying life event (not related to Open Season)? Call Health Net Federal Services.
• USFHP: Find your designated provider number.
• By mail or fax: Download the region-specific form for the plan you wish to enroll in. Then send it to your regional contactor or designated provider.
• TRICARE Prime forms (DD Form 2876)—includes USFHP
• TRICARE Select forms (DD Form 3043)

You can check the TRICARE Plan Finder tool to see which plans you may qualify for. Do you need to find what region you’ll be in next year? Visit TRICARE Regions.

Do you live overseas? You will be able to make TRICARE plan changes in milConnect during Oct. 28–Dec. 31, 2024. You can also change your plan by:

• Phone: Call International SOS with your country-specific number.
• By mail or fax: Download the overseas-specific form for the plan you wish to enroll in. Then send it to International SOS.
• TRICARE Prime forms (DD Form 2876)
• TRICARE Select forms (DD Form 3043)

What happens if I don’t take any action?

If you aren’t already in a plan and don’t enroll in a plan during open season, you’ll only be eligible for care at a military hospital or clinic, if space is available.

Will you be affected by T-5 changes? If you don’t take required actions, you may lose your TRICARE coverage. See the “T-5 Regional Contract Changes” section below for more information.

Starting Jan. 1, 2025, there will be changes to TRICARE regional contracts, known as T-5 managed care support contracts. These changes will affect beneficiaries in certain regions.

East Region

Humana Military will remain the contractor. Beneficiaries who will remain in the East Region should:

• Before Oct. 25, 2024: Confirm your information in DEERS. This will help make sure you don’t miss important communications about your TRICARE benefit and upcoming changes. 

Do you pay enrollment or premium payments by credit card or bank transfer? You don’t need to update or transfer your payment information.

West Region

TriWest Healthcare Alliance will replace Health Net Federal Services.

Beneficiaries in the West Region should:

• Before Oct. 25, 2024: Confirm your information in DEERS. This will help make sure you don’t miss important communications about your TRICARE benefit and upcoming changes. 

• By Dec. 31, 2024: Do you pay enrollment or premium payments by credit card or bank transfer? You’ll will need to transfer your payment information in the TriWest self-service patient portal. Get started at tricare.mil/west.

• Starting Nov. 11, 2024: Go to tricare.mil/west to see if your providers are in the TriWest network.

Six States Moving to the West Region

Six states will move from the East Region to the West Region on Jan. 1, 2025. These states are:

• Arkansas
• Illinois
• Louisiana
• Oklahoma
• Texas
• Wisconsin

Do you live in one of these states? Your new regional contractor will be TriWest HealthCare Alliance. To prepare for this transition, you should:

• Before Oct. 25, 2024: Confirm your information in DEERS. This will help make sure you don’t miss important communications about your TRICARE benefit and upcoming changes. 

• By Dec. 31, 2024: Do you pay enrollment or premium payments by credit card or bank transfer? You’ll will need to add your payment information in the TriWest self-service patient portal. Get started at tricare.mil/west.

• Starting Nov. 11, 2024: Go to tricare.mil/west to see if your providers are in the TriWest network.

Important Dates for T-5 Transition

• September 2024: Do you live in a state that’s moving to the West Region? You’ll receive an important letter about upcoming changes to your healthcare.

• Oct. 4, 2024: The new TriWest self-service patient portal will open for beneficiaries living in or joining the West Region. You’ll be able to update your payment information here. It’s important to update your payment details before Jan. 1, 2025, when your new coverage begins. Learn more at West Region.

• Jan. 1, 2025: Your new healthcare coverage under the T-5 contracts begins. Beneficiaries living in or joining the West Region will start receiving care through your new regional contractor.

For more information about T-5 changes, visit Changes.

You’ll hear more in the coming months about any actions you may need to take by Dec. 31, 2024. Stay tuned for more information about T-5 by signing up for email alerts from TRICARE.

You might also be able to purchase dental and vision insurance through FEDVIP. The Office of Personnel Management runs this program. Your status as a TRICARE member decides if you can enroll. To get vision coverage, you need to have a TRICARE health plan first.

Go to BENEFEDS to:

• See if you’re eligible.
• Compare FEDVIP plans and costs.
• Sign up for a plan.
• Learn more.

Outside of TRICARE Open Season, you can enroll in or change enrollment to a TRICARE Prime option or TRICARE Select following a TRICARE Qualifying Life Event.

• A QLE is a certain change in your life, such as marriage, birth of a child, or retirement from active duty, which may mean different TRICARE health plans are available to you and your family members.
• A TRICARE QLE opens a 90-day period for you to make eligible enrollment changes. A QLE for one family member creates an opportunity for all eligible family members to make enrollment changes.

Outside of Federal Benefits Open Season, you can only enroll in FEDVIP or make changes to your FEDVIP plan if you have a FEDVIP QLE. Some FEDVIP QLEs may be different from TRICARE QLEs. To learn more, visit BENEFEDS.