Q. Does TRICARE Standard cost me more or less than Prime?
A. It depends on how often you get health care services and the type of care you receive. Under TRICARE Standard, you don’t pay until you actually get health care and like TRICARE Prime, there are no out-of-pocket costs for most preventive care, mammograms, prostate exams, vaccinations, etc. You have to pay an annual fiscal year, Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, deductible and cost shares for covered services, www.tricare.mil/costs.
Your catastrophic cap* is the same under both Prime and Standard:
- $1,000 for active duty family members
- $3,000 for all other TRICARE eligible beneficiaries. TRICARE covers active duty costs for TRICARE-covered services.
- Catastrophic cap – the most you pay out of pocket for covered services in a fiscal year, Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.
Send your questions to askthedoc@nellis.af.mil.
