Retired a year ago at 61. We flopped over to Tricare from the Fedex buy-up plan. All the doctors and healthcare folks we interact with take it no problem. We were paying around $500 a month to maintain the buy-up plan for all those years and I'm thinking we would have done just fine with Tricare. I've got a United friend that has been using Tricare for years and just declining the United health insurance and he and his family are doing fine. When you retire pre 65 the company will give you around $4,800 in a HSA for you and your spouse in lieu of the company subsidized health plan. I can tell you between the the HSA and Tricare we are doing well. Something you may think about.

 

Thanks for this information. I turn 60 next month and will be eligible for Tri care. I was unsure about leaving the FedEx buy up plan. Great to hear Tricare is working out. I live in San Diego, should have plenty of options.

 

Is this the first HSA you’ve had? I still have a way to go before retirement but I also have buy up and Tricare. Wondering if I ditch the buy up next year during open enrollment, if I get the $4,800 HSA too? Thanks.

 

You get 4k with the HSA. Then you can also stash away pre tax money up to the IRS limit. About 7k total annually between the two. Then invest it like a 401k.

 

Great information here that many can capitalize on. Tricare has been our primary vs any company plan at just over $400 or $500 w/kids monthly for over a decade. Just make sure your preferred physicians accept it before leaving your company option. If you don’t care then it’s of no consequence other than rural living but that’s another issue in itself. I actually keep my wife on Tricare and I opted for the dedicated VA healthcare nearby. Please test your VA care as they are not all created equal unfortunately. Mine happens to be exceptional so I made the move and within an hour of the BNA area Vanderbilt has assisted with requirements so I couldn’t go wrong. Amazing care if you are co-located to VA’s that piggyback off of great civilian care. Research definitely applies.

*Note if you have Tricare before Age 65 you must apply for Medicare Part B if I recall to keep Tricare as a coordinated healthcare benefit. Might have been 6 months before your Medicare Eligible or something to that effect. Keep an eye on it if you want both overlapping coverage.

 

If tricare is 400-500/mo what is the benefit to switching to that vs the buy up? Just looked at my paystub, and with a family the buy up is 402/mo. I was a tricare prime mil brat until I became the sponsor, so I don’t know any different. My only experience outside of that was Tricare Rsv Select when I was at AA for a year before FedEx. I declined AA and the premiums for rsv sel were 300/mo and then i had a 10%/20% deductible or something close to that and ended up waaay more expensive than the buy up. So when i had that option I jumped on it. Curious where you have found the savings. Thanks.

 

Tricare is just over $500 a year for family Prime. You still pay a $20-30 deductible per visit, but I’ve had it for 17 years here and have been very happy.

 

You get the HSA $4,800 when you retire before 65. It is one of the medical retirement options when your retire that is designed for retired military. They will cover it at the unions retirement seminars.

 

So Tricare becomes primary and the company HSA is secondary? What happens when Medicare kicks in at 65?