Retired Military members receive TriCare for Life to pay the medical costs that Medicare doesn’t cover and also provides prescription drug coverage with Express Scripts. Many TriCare for Life members want additional benefits such as SilverSneakers, dental, vision and hearing, but don’t want to lose their TriCare for Life benefits.
All Medicare members who have Part A and and B, can choose to get their Medicare benefits from a private company (Humana, UnitedHealthcare, etc) with a Part C plan, also called Medicare Advantage. Humana and Unitedhealthcare both have zero premium Part C plans designed for veterans. If you have Tricare for Life, you should only enroll in a Part C plan WITHOUT drug coverage, because you already have great drug coverage with Express Scripts. TriCare for Life stays secondary and still pays your co-pays on a Medicare Part C plan.
UnitedHealthcare offers the zero premium Patriot Plan which is designed for veterans and TriCare for Life members because it doesn’t include drug coverage (MA only plan) but does include ReNew Active gym membership (similar to SilverSneakers), vision, hearing, dental coverage and a $75 month credit for your Medicare Part B premium, and best of all is zero premium.
Humana USAA Honor plan also has a plan designed for veterans and is available in 47 states. The Humana Honor plan includes SilverSneakers, dental coverage ($2000 year in most states), hearing, vision and a $75-$125 month Medicare Part B credit.
In 2023, most clients will pay $164.90 month for their Medicare Part B premium, which is deducted from your social security benefits. For instance, it the Honor plan in your state had a $100 Part B credit, your Medicare Part B premium would be reduced to $64.90. saving you $1200 a year, per person.
Humana administers the healthcare benefits for Tricare East, so most clients in the Tricare East region usually pick the Humana Honor plan because they are familiar with Humana from when they had Tricare Select or Tricare Prime. The Humana Honor plan is NOT a HMO, it is a PPO, which allows you to see any doctor in the country that accepts Medicare and does not require a referral.
My name is Steve Schrader, I am an agent for Humana and UnitedHealthcare, and work exclusively with Tricare for Life members, helping them understand these plans. Most TFL members are not aware that these plans exist or they have never had someone explain how they work with TFL. I am licensed in the states listed in green above.
The Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) is October 15th- Dec 7th, anyone who enrolls during AEP, the plan becomes effective Jan 1st.
Feel free to call me from 8:00 am – 10:00 pm ET at 303-335-9611.
If you would like me to email you the plan specifics for the plan in your area, click on “ Email Me Info “, if you prefer not to provide your phone number, just leave it blank. I do not sell your information to anyone!
For more info, call or email me.
I do not offer every plan available in your area. Please contact Medicare.com or 1-800-MEDICARE to get all of your options.
