Q. My child is coming home this summer from college. Does he need to transfer his TRICARE Prime enrollment?
A. No. For information on how your son receives care while at home, visit our Getting Care During School Breaks page.
Getting Care When Traveling During School Breaks
You should get all of your routine care from your regular doctor before you travel during a school break, especially if you use TRICARE Prime.
If you need to see a doctor when traveling, here are some basic guidelines.
Emergency Care
Go to the nearest Emergency Room. The hospital department that provides emergency services to patients who need immediate medical attention , or call 911.
• You may need to pay up front and file a claim for reimbursement.
• Keep all of your receipts and file claims in the region (http://www.tricare.mil/About/Regions.aspx) where you live, not where you went to the ER.
• If you use a TRICARE Prime plan, be sure to call your regional contractor or primary care manager within 24 hours.
All Other Types of Care
• If you use a TRICARE Prime plan, you need a referral from your primary care manager for any non-emergency care, including urgent care (http://www.tricare.mil/CoveredServices/IsItCovered/UrgentCare.aspx) .
• For all others, visit any TRICARE-Authorized Provider. An authorized provider is any individual, institution/organization, or supplier that is licensed by a state, accredited by national organization, or meets other standards of the medical community, and is certified to provide benefits under TRICARE. There are two types of TRICARE-authorized providers: Network and Non-Network. You may need to pay up front and file a claim for reimbursement.
Send your questions to askthedoc@us.af.mil