Q. How do the new East and West Region (T-2017) contracts affect me now?

A. Right now, changes don’t affect you. We’ll post updated information at www.tricare.mil/changes.

New Regional Contracts in 2017
The new regional contracts were awarded July 21, 2016. The East Region Under the new regional contracts, the East Region is a merger of the North and South Regions and includes: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa (Rock Island area), Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri (St. Louis area), New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas (excluding El Paso area), Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. The contract goes to Humana Government Business, Inc. of Louisville, Kentucky, and the West Region Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa (excludes Rock Island arsenal area), Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri (except St. Louis area), Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas (southwestern corner including El Paso), Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The contract goes to Health Net Federal Services, LLC of Rancho Cordova, California.

• We anticipate the start of health care delivery late 2017.
• There will be a 9-month transition period.
• We have added improvements in the delivery, quality, and cost of your health care from previous contracts.

Most of these improvements will be behind the scenes. But, some changes you may experience include:
• Shorter wait times for specialty care appointments
•Improved communication between your military and civilian providers
•Easier referral process

You Don’t Need to Do Anything Right Now
• There is a 9-month transition period.
• Our goal is to have a smooth transition and to keep you informed.
• We’ll update this page regularly.
• You can sign up now to get transition updates via email.

What’s Changing?
While the TRICARE benefit won’t change, you can expect changes in how you access care and to some processes. Here are the two key changes in the new contract:
Improved Integration between Military Hospitals & Clinics and Civilian Care
The Military Health System (MHS) consists of military hospitals & clinics and civilian care. There will be improved integration between these components of your health care.

Send your questions to askthedoc@us.af.mil