What do you do for health insurance when you lose Tricare?
You can lose your Tricare eligibility for a number of reasons. If you separate voluntarily, you and your family are not eligible to use military treatment facilities or Tricare. If you are discharged for a medical condition, you may be eligible for medical care from the Department of Veterans Affairs, but your family will not be. What can you do to make sure you and your family have health care benefits after getting out of the military?
Options include:
- Transitional Assistance Management Program (TAMP)
- Continued Health Care Benefit Program (CHCBP)
- Health Insurance Marketplace
- Insurance through your or your spouse's employer
Transitional Assistance Management Program
Certain beneficiaries and eligible family members may be covered by the Transitional Assistance Management Program (TAMP) after losing Tricare eligibility. TAMP provides 180 days of premium-free transitional health care benefits after regular Tricare benefits end. Active-duty service members with certain service-related conditions are eligible for further coverage beyond the 180 days covered by TAMP.
Continued Health Care Benefit Program
Once TAMP eligibility and any other Tricare eligibility expires, veterans can enroll in the Continued Health Care Benefit Program (CHCBP). This program allows transitioning service members to buy coverage that acts as a bridge between Tricare and their new health plan. It is typically limited to 36 months.
Health Insurance Marketplace
Another option for health care coverage is the Health Insurance Marketplace. The federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires most Americans to have minimum essential health care coverage or pay a tax penalty for each month that they and the other individuals listed on their tax form do not have coverage.
See our Transitional Health Care Programs page for more details.
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