For those who do and do not have TRS, according to this press release premiums are going down substantially. 253 for family going down to 180. Hard to beat that from any civilian employer.

 

sounds good. As a soon to be Guard Bum, does the TRS system automatically stop billing you once you get put on Title 10 orders again? like a pain in the ass to cancel than sign up after every set of 30+ day orders. I could look it up but.....

 

Once you go Title 10 AC, your next (re first) stop should be the DEERS station. TRICARE will stop and / or adjust your payment as soon as info gets into DEERS. Everything revolves around DEERS. Don't let some 42A (personnel) twit tell you anything differntly...DEERS first, pay second, then the rest of the stations. Been there, done it...many times.

 

I do believe you have to go thru the pain when you go 30+ day orders, and more pain you go back off active....

 

I was told by Tricare that the TRS was not active until the 1st of the month after you sign up. For example lets say you separate or go off AD on 31MAY, join the reserves or reaffiliate with your reserve unit/Guard on 1 JUN and sign up for TRS on 1JUN. Your coverage does not start until 1JUL. The Bridge(to my knowlege the military does not offer a Cobra plan) plan is good but can only be purchased on a quarterly basis and is not refundable(pro-rated). So you conceivably would have a gap in coverage or pay for 2 extra months of a bridge plan that you didnt use at a much higher rate(it's roughly 1300/quarter)

I chose to use my company's health care plan. I live in a military saturated area and Tricare care providers out in town are shotty at best. I'll pay the extra 50/month and co pays for a solid health care plan for my family, its well worth it, especially with young children.

 

Don't you mean TWO young children?

Also, if you cancel TRS but then decide to go back, you must wait 1 year to re-sign up. We had it while leaving DAL before the new job benefits kicked in, it was great. If there is a military station nearby, the meds are free. Good for when the kids are sick and need anti-biotics (sp?) etc...

 

BDGERJMN,

When I talked with someone from Tricare on the phone I was told the same thing about coverage not beginning until the following month. They were wrong.

If you read the TRS Handbook it says you have up to 60 days from the loss of non-premium Tricare coverage (i.e. AD coverage) to purchase TRS with no break in coverage. I'm pretty sure the same information can be found (with lots of searching) at their website.

I signed up around 30 days after leaving AD with no problems.

 

This is legit... I just enrolled the other day and I was given the option to select the day after my DOS, the 1st of the next month or the following month. Tricare can be clueless on the phone sometimes but you should be good to go.

 

DT, yes you are correct Sir, two youngsters. And every day I spend with them is another day I reaffirm my decision to leave the Nav.

FSU/Gun,

Thanks for the clarification. I guess I was led astray. I had been told that information by more than one Tricare rep. The fact that they don't know their job only makes my decision to go with Anthem that much "mo better"

Happy Turkey Day!

 

Slightly off topic, but don't forget, for every 30 days you do in support of a contingency, you get 180 days free Tricare. As a Guard/Reserve person, just do a 30 day tour to the desert every 6 months (although ONE, Operation Noble Eagle, counts as well so you might be able to swing a CONUS tour) and you will have free Tricare for your career, not too bad a deal. You do have to go to your Tricare/DEERS folks after every deployment to sign up but if you have a family, it's well worth an hour of your time to get them covered for 6 months for free.