Tricare Prime: Overseas Travel Benefits And Drawbacks

is my tricare prime good while traveling overseas

If you're a TRICARE beneficiary, you can access medical care while travelling for business, vacation or when moving. However, your rules for getting care depend on your plan and travel destination. TRICARE Prime beneficiaries are covered while travelling, but they should get all routine care before they travel as this type of care may not be covered while away. If you need routine care, you must contact your primary care manager (PCM) first. If you have an emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. If admitted, call your regional call centre. If you need urgent care, try to get care at a military hospital or clinic.

Characteristics Values
Coverage You are covered while travelling for business, vacation or when moving.
Routine care You should get all routine care before you travel. Routine care may not be authorized after you leave for your trip.
Emergency care Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Air evacuation Air evacuation is only covered when medically necessary to the closest safe location.
Reimbursement You may need to pay upfront and file a claim for reimbursement. Keep all receipts and file claims in the region where you live, not where you get the care.
Primary care manager If you're enrolled in a TRICARE Prime option, call your primary care manager or regional contractor within 24 hours or the next business day.
US Family Health Plan Call Customer Service at 1-800-748-7347 if you need care when travelling, and save all your healthcare receipts.
Travel expenses If you're referred for specialty care more than 100 miles from your primary care manager, you may qualify to have your travel expenses reimbursed.
TRICARE Select Overseas TRICARE Select Overseas provides comprehensive coverage in all overseas areas.
TRICARE For Life When using TRICARE For Life in all other overseas locations, TRICARE is the primary payer and you're responsible for paying TRICARE's annual deductible and cost shares.

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Routine care before travelling

If you are enrolled in TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Prime Remote, or TRICARE Young Adult-Prime in the U.S., it is important to get all your routine care before you travel overseas. This is because routine care may not be authorized after you leave for your trip.

To ensure you are prepared, get all your prescriptions filled before you travel. If you need a prescription filled while travelling, you can fill it at a military pharmacy if there is one nearby. Call the pharmacy first to check if they have your prescription. If a military pharmacy is not available, find the closest network pharmacy. If a network pharmacy is not available, visit a non-network pharmacy.

Home delivery is not recommended for prescriptions that you need right away. However, if you are taking a long vacation, you can arrange for any regular prescriptions to be filled via home delivery.

If you are referred for specialty care more than 100 miles from your primary care manager, you may qualify to have your travel expenses reimbursed. These expenses include mileage, meals, tolls, parking, lodging, local transportation, and tickets for public transportation.

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Emergency care while overseas

If you are travelling overseas and require emergency care, you can call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Air evacuation is only covered when it is medically necessary to reach the closest safe location. This means that the treatment must be appropriate, reasonable, and adequate for your condition.

You may need to pay upfront and file a claim for reimbursement. Keep all your receipts and file claims in the region where you live, not where you received the care. If you are enrolled in a Tricare Prime option, you must call your primary care manager or regional contractor within 24 hours or the next business day.

If you are enrolled in the US Family Health Plan, you must call Customer Service at 1-800-748-7347 if you need care while travelling, and save all your healthcare receipts. If you are referred for specialty care more than 100 miles from your primary care manager, you may qualify to have your travel expenses reimbursed. This includes mileage, meals, tolls, parking, lodging, local transportation, and tickets for public transportation.

Note that Tricare does not cover vaccines or COVID-19 testing for travel.

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Urgent care while overseas

If you are enrolled in Tricare Prime Overseas or Tricare Prime Remote Overseas, you are covered if you need urgent care while travelling. You do not need a referral to get urgent care when travelling stateside. You may get urgent care from any Tricare-Authorised Urgent Care Centre or Network Provider.

If you are enrolled in a Tricare Prime Overseas plan and seek urgent care from a Non-Network Provider outside of a Tricare-Authorised urgent care centre, you will have to pay point-of-service option cost-shares. Active Duty Service Members must follow up with their Primary Care Manager (PCM) when they receive care outside of a military hospital or clinic, in accordance with DoD and Service regulations.

The Military Health System (MHS) Nurse Advice Line is also available for urgent care advice while travelling in the US, but you must coordinate care with your Tricare Overseas Program (TOP) Regional Call Center. To reach the MHS Nurse Advice Line, call 1-800-Tricare (1-800-874-2273) and choose option 1.

If you experience an emergency while travelling, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Contact your PCM or International SOS, the TOP Contractor, within 24 hours or the next business day. If admitted, you or someone on your behalf must notify the TOP Contractor. Additionally, Active-Duty Service Members should notify their chain of command.

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Prescriptions while overseas

If you are travelling overseas and need to get prescriptions while on your trip, your options depend on your Tricare plan and your travel destination.

If you have Tricare Prime Overseas or Tricare Select Overseas, you can book an appointment with any Tricare-authorized overseas provider. You can find a list of these providers on the Tricare website. You will need to show that you are eligible for Tricare in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). This is a database of information on service members, US-sponsored foreign military, DoD and uniformed services civilians, and their family members. You will need to register in DEERS to get Tricare. You won't receive a Tricare wallet card, but you can use your Uniformed Services ID card as proof of coverage.

You should expect to pay upfront for care and file your own claims to get reimbursed. Costs vary based on your sponsor's military status. You will pay an annual outpatient deductible and cost-shares (or percentage) for covered services. You may need pre-authorization for some types of services.

If you are enrolled in a Prime option, you should call your primary care manager or regional contractor within 24 hours or the next business day. You can also call the Nurse Advice Line on 1-800-Tricare, Option 1.

If you are enrolled in the US Family Health Plan, you should call Customer Service on 1-800-748-7347 if you need care while travelling, and save all your healthcare receipts.

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Travel and COVID-19 testing

If you are a Tricare beneficiary, you are covered for COVID-19 tests at no cost when ordered by a Tricare-authorized provider. The test must be FDA-approved (including Emergency Use Authorization). However, Tricare does not cover COVID-19 testing for travel.

If you and your eligible family members are required and approved to travel overseas, you may get a COVID-19 test to enter another country. You will have to pay for the tests out of pocket and file a claim for reimbursement under your travel orders.

If you are an active duty member, you may get a COVID-19 test if you have symptoms. If you are non-active duty and asymptomatic, Tricare may not cover your test. Testing is based on medical necessity and appropriateness.

You can get a COVID-19 test at a local military hospital or clinic, as long as it can run tests for COVID-19. You must have symptoms of the virus and have a doctor's order for testing. If the hospital or clinic cannot run the test, it will send your sample to an outside laboratory for testing. A military or Tricare-authorized provider must order or perform the test.

FDA-approved at-home antigen rapid diagnostic test kits may be covered with a physician's order. There are no copayments or cost-shares for covered tests. Outside of the Tricare benefit, patients have access to free at-home test kits from COVIDtest.gov.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you are covered by Tricare Prime when travelling overseas. However, you should get all routine care before you travel as it may not be authorized after you leave for your trip.

Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. If you are enrolled in a Tricare Prime option, call your primary care manager or regional contractor within 24 hours or the next business day.

Air evacuation is only covered when medically necessary to the closest safe location.

You may need to pay upfront and file a claim for reimbursement. Keep all receipts and file claims in the region where you live, not where you received the treatment.

You can call the MHS Nurse Advice Line by dialling 800-TRICARE, option 1, in the US and US territories.

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