Another informative video. I'm a dual DOD/Military retiree so I used my DOD health insurance rather than Tricare but one aspect I wanted to warn you about. If you are getting treatment at a VA hospital for a non-service medical condition, the VA per Federal Law can not bill Medicare. So if you go to a civilian hospital or doctor between the Medicare and Tricare the bill will be covered but at the VA hospital you will have to pay a "copay" out of pocket because of this Federal Law. I argued about this fact through my senator but the Federal Law is so intertwined with different Agencies under several Senate Committees it would be a nightmare trying to get the law changed. Just FYI.
Well done! The good news is that Tricare will send you a letter well before you turn 65 that explains this. That buys you time to sign up for Medicare. My wife is older than I am, so she got the letter first. Medicare is surprisingly easy to enroll in btw. Took maybe 20 minutes and the website does not suck as badly as most .gov sites. Some notes. The amount given for Medicare costs in the video are QUARTERLY costs. Mine happen to be $500 and change a quarter, and my wife's are the same. So, $8K+ a year for Part B. Yeah, that's a bite that, well, bites. Second note, and this is a plus for Tricare, is that my wife has to get a shot in her eye every month or so. The better med isn't covered by Medicare, but Tricare covers it. Lots of weirdness with Medicare. They are slow to change what they cover even in the face of newer and cheaper treatments.
Thank you for pointing out that you MUST enroll in MEDICARE. I was a TRICARE bureaucrat from its inception, active duty and contractor. How often I heard “my recruiter said” which ended up costing retirees thousands of dollars in back payments to MEDICARE. There are always a few exceptions to every rule, don’t listen to your buddies stories, contract TRICARE if you have any doubts. Your friend’s wrong answer will cost you money, not him.
That's a great point about your buddies stories...rules can change and what was true for two years ago isn't true anymore. And more than one "buddy" misunderstood what was happening to him and miscommunicates what is going to happen to you. Even TH-camrs like me can mess things up.
Medicare + TFL is the "gold standard" for coverage once you become eligible. When you get all those darn calls for Medicare Advantage plans towards the end of the year just ask them "Can you beat TFL?" and the answer will always be "No". The other important thing is that TFL is now your Part C provider, i.e. your drug benefits...amazing how low your costs are in that regard vs. other plans.
Sad this isn’t free for retirees. What year did the government start charging us. I joined in December of 1990 and I recall my recruiter saying 20+ years active duty would result in free medical for life. I’m a gray area reserve retiree but my stepfather did 20 active 1974-1994.
I retired from the navy in 1996 and I think tricare started about 2 0r 3 years before I retired. Also when military retiree turns 65 they need to enroll in medicare part a and b to keep tricare for life.
That was never true. I heard the same thing, and I suspect that it comes from a time when many/most retirees actually used the military hospitals as their primary medical source and it was kind of true - for them. Having to pay for Tricare got me riled up, so I asked questions and that's when I discovered that that "free medical" was never in writing.
@@oldtop4682 yes you are correct it was never in writing. Back when I first joined the navy in 1976 military retirees would go to a military hospital and get seen a space available situation. Tricare started because the military medical system could not keep up with all the retirees and active duty. That was how it was explained to me when was still on active duty. Ticare allows retirees see cilvilain doctors if they don't live near a base or base is to small.
@ before I retired I spent a significant amount of time counseling the much younger members of my squadron (even ones that outranked me, I’m 51) about the blessings of military benefits but the obligation to supplement it with savings, the right transition plan, and things like a good civilian job after. I drive a school bus now in a public school district with almost free medical for just 20 hours per week and a pay increase for veterans.
Tricare was important for me working as a bureaucrat in a german nursing home in "K-Town". We had some widows married to former US Service members. So whenever they fight their money fights in the congress we were afraid of troubles because the german representive of Tricare told us, that they will stop paying the nursing home for these ladies first. (OK, to bei honest. Getting married to an GI could be a very good idea as a career. Back in those days in the 1950s/1960s when you're born at the wrong side of the town. So these ladies and their families had not really good savings to pay 2 or 3 months until Tricare got back in the game. You know...these type of people who never learnt to save Money?)
![เปิด อาณาจักร หมื่นล้าน "สาระตั้ม" l [Nickynachat]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3XE0nPF4YkQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Another informative video. I'm a dual DOD/Military retiree so I used my DOD health insurance rather than Tricare but one aspect I wanted to warn you about. If you are getting treatment at a VA hospital for a non-service medical condition, the VA per Federal Law can not bill Medicare. So if you go to a civilian hospital or doctor between the Medicare and Tricare the bill will be covered but at the VA hospital you will have to pay a "copay" out of pocket because of this Federal Law. I argued about this fact through my senator but the Federal Law is so intertwined with different Agencies under several Senate Committees it would be a nightmare trying to get the law changed. Just FYI.
Really? That is some good information!
I'm pinning this comment because I wouldn't have even guess that this was an issue.
Well done! The good news is that Tricare will send you a letter well before you turn 65 that explains this. That buys you time to sign up for Medicare. My wife is older than I am, so she got the letter first. Medicare is surprisingly easy to enroll in btw. Took maybe 20 minutes and the website does not suck as badly as most .gov sites.
Some notes. The amount given for Medicare costs in the video are QUARTERLY costs. Mine happen to be $500 and change a quarter, and my wife's are the same. So, $8K+ a year for Part B. Yeah, that's a bite that, well, bites. Second note, and this is a plus for Tricare, is that my wife has to get a shot in her eye every month or so. The better med isn't covered by Medicare, but Tricare covers it. Lots of weirdness with Medicare. They are slow to change what they cover even in the face of newer and cheaper treatments.
That is good news...except for the cost of Part B. And "a shot in her eye"? Lord...
Part A is automatic at 65. You must enroll in Part B around three months before age 65.
Ah...Good.
Thank you for pointing out that you MUST enroll in MEDICARE. I was a TRICARE bureaucrat from its inception, active duty and contractor. How often I heard “my recruiter said” which ended up costing retirees thousands of dollars in back payments to MEDICARE. There are always a few exceptions to every rule, don’t listen to your buddies stories, contract TRICARE if you have any doubts. Your friend’s wrong answer will cost you money, not him.
That's a great point about your buddies stories...rules can change and what was true for two years ago isn't true anymore. And more than one "buddy" misunderstood what was happening to him and miscommunicates what is going to happen to you. Even TH-camrs like me can mess things up.
Medicare + TFL is the "gold standard" for coverage once you become eligible. When you get all those darn calls for Medicare Advantage plans towards the end of the year just ask them "Can you beat TFL?" and the answer will always be "No". The other important thing is that TFL is now your Part C provider, i.e. your drug benefits...amazing how low your costs are in that regard vs. other plans.
That is some good intel...
Now incorporate VA health care for service connected with Medicare and TFL. How will that work out? Thank you
I've shied away from VA Health Care for a while now...probably need to get off my ass.
Sad this isn’t free for retirees. What year did the government start charging us. I joined in December of 1990 and I recall my recruiter saying 20+ years active duty would result in free medical for life. I’m a gray area reserve retiree but my stepfather did 20 active 1974-1994.
I retired from the navy in 1996 and I think tricare started about 2 0r 3 years before I retired. Also when military retiree turns 65 they need to enroll in medicare part a and b to keep tricare for life.
That was never true. I heard the same thing, and I suspect that it comes from a time when many/most retirees actually used the military hospitals as their primary medical source and it was kind of true - for them.
Having to pay for Tricare got me riled up, so I asked questions and that's when I discovered that that "free medical" was never in writing.
@@oldtop4682 yes you are correct it was never in writing. Back when I first joined the navy in 1976 military retirees would go to a military hospital and get seen a space available situation. Tricare started because the military medical system could not keep up with all the retirees and active duty. That was how it was explained to me when was still on active duty. Ticare allows retirees see cilvilain doctors if they don't live near a base or base is to small.
This is fascinating. I hadn't thought to look at the history of Tricare and how it fit into things.
@ before I retired I spent a significant amount of time counseling the much younger members of my squadron (even ones that outranked me, I’m 51) about the blessings of military benefits but the obligation to supplement it with savings, the right transition plan, and things like a good civilian job after. I drive a school bus now in a public school district with almost free medical for just 20 hours per week and a pay increase for veterans.
Tricare was important for me working as a bureaucrat in a german nursing home in "K-Town". We had some widows married to former US Service members. So whenever they fight their money fights in the congress we were afraid of troubles because the german representive of Tricare told us, that they will stop paying the nursing home for these ladies first.
(OK, to bei honest. Getting married to an GI could be a very good idea as a career. Back in those days in the 1950s/1960s when you're born at the wrong side of the town. So these ladies and their families had not really good savings to pay 2 or 3 months until Tricare got back in the game. You know...these type of people who never learnt to save Money?)
I've met folks like that.
Either way there not enough money 😭😂
Never is.