News | Humana Military

Discover more secure ways to pay your TRICARE premiums

April 19, 2024

Keeping your coverage with TRICARE is a top priority. Paying your enrollment fees or premiums with an electronic method will keep you enrolled and covered. Two methods—allotment and Electric Funds Transfer (EFT)—are the safest, no-hassle ways to pay your premium.

Here are your options for secure payment based on your TRICARE plan:

TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Select: You must pay by allotment, unless there’s no retired or retainer pay, such as for 100% disabled Veterans, un-remarried former spouses and survivors. When allotment isn’t possible, you may choose to pay through EFT or recurring credit/debit card payments.

TRICARE Reserve Select (TRR), TRICARE Retired Select (TRS), and TRICARE Young Adult (TYA): Choose to make EFT or recurring credit/debit card payments.

There are advantages of paying through allotment or EFT. You don’t have to worry about updating your information if you credit card expires or if you lose your card. You also have less risk of being disenrolled because of failing to pay. Set up allotment payments or EFT payments as your payment method today.

Durable Medical Equipment (DME) fraud

March 15, 2024

Durable Medical Equipment (DME) fraud is one of the most common types of healthcare fraud and abuse, a crime that involves filing false claims to make a profit. This can cost taxpayers billions of dollars.

TRICARE covers DME that is medically necessary and that a TRICARE-authorized provider orders for a specific use. Benefits do not include luxury, exercise, relaxation, comfort or sport items.

There are several ways a DME provider can defraud TRICARE, including:

Billing for medically unnecessary equipment or supplies
Billing for equipment or supplies that are not given to the beneficiaries
Billing for more expensive equipment than what was provided
Giving illegal kickbacks or bribes for the referral of TRICARE beneficiaries
Ignoring patient cost-shares
Prescribing DME without patient interaction or only a brief telephone conversation

If you suspect fraud or abuse, please make a report online or call (800) 333-1620.

Discover more secure ways to pay your TRICARE premiums!

March 9, 2024

Paying your premiums through allotment or Electric Funds Transfer (EFT) are the safest, no-hassle ways to stay enrolled and remain covered through TRICARE.

For TRICARE Select beneficiaries, allotment is required in all cases unless there is no retired/retainer pay (e.g., 100% disabled veterans, unremarried former spouses, survivors) available to cover monthly enrollment fees. If allotment is not feasible, you must establish payment through EFT or Recurring Credit Card (RCC) payments.

TRICARE Prime beneficiaries can choose between allotment, EFT or RCC payments. TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS), TRICARE Young Adult (TYA) and TRICARE Retired Reserve (TRR) beneficiaries can choose to make payments through an EFT or an RCC.

By choosing to pay through allotment or EFT, you don’t have to worry about updating expiration dates or lost credit card information, and you avoid the risk of disenrollment due to failure to pay!

Set up your new payment with either allotment or EFT payment today!

Accredo to fill specialty medications

March 8, 2024

As of March 1, 2024, Accredo now provides specialty pharmacy services to TRICARE beneficiaries who refill an eligible specialty medication with TRICARE Home Delivery.

Accredo provides specialty pharmacy services, such as scheduled medication delivery and refill reminder calls. These expanded specialty pharmacy services are given at no additional cost beyond the TRICARE cost-share.

Beneficiaries can get advice from trained staff 24/7. Specialty-trained pharmacists, nurses, patient care supporters and other professionals make up the care team. They help beneficiaries understand their medication therapy.

Prepare yourself during Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) season

November 9, 2023

RSV season is here.

RSV is a common respiratory virus that typically causes mild cold-like symptoms, which usually last a week or two. The RSV season starts in November and runs through March. The virus can cause more severe illness for some, including infants and adults 60 years and older with chronic heart or lung disease or who have weakened immune systems.

Speak to your provider to see if you are at increased risk for RSV or if a vaccination is appropriate. Vaccinations are given as a preventative, not a treatment. Learn more about the symptoms and treatment for RSV. TRICARE covers age-appropriate doses of vaccines, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Reminder about freestanding emergency room visits

October 13, 2023

When seeking emergent care, you are encouraged to seek care from the closest emergency provider. If you receive care from a provider in a freestanding emergency room that is not affiliated to a hospital, TRICARE will not make reimbursement for care rendered because it does not recognize the facility as a certified provider. Certified providers can file claims and receive payment for TRICARE services and have met TRICARE licensing and certification requirements.

If you receive care from a freestanding emergency room that is not affiliated to a hospital, you will be responsible all applicable costs.

TRICARE laboratory developed tests demonstration extended, certain tests now covered

September 8, 2023

The Defense Health Agency (DHA) announced the five-year extension of the Laboratory Developed Tests (LDT) demonstration, from July 19, 2023, through July 18, 2028. This means that if you have TRICARE, you’ll continue to have access to certain LDTs that aren’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Non-covered services waiver information

August 24, 2023

It is important to understand both your responsibility as a TRICARE beneficiary, as well as your provider’s responsibility when it comes to non-covered services.

Beneficiary’s responsibility:

Report your TRICARE benefit and Other Health Insurance (OHI) coverage to a provider.
Know the covered benefits as well as limitations and exclusions.
Download TRICARE non-covered services waiver

Provider’s responsibilities:

Verify if a service is covered or non-covered before rendering services to a TRICARE beneficiary.
Must have the patient sign the non-covered services waiver if a network provider renders a non-covered service to a TRICARE beneficiary.
A non-network provider is not required to use the official TRICARE waiver; however, they must have the patient sign a waiver that is equivalent to a TRICARE non-covered services waiver.

Information about the waiver:

This waiver confirms that the beneficiary is aware that the service is not covered and that the beneficiary is financially responsible for the rendered service.
If there is no signed waiver, the provider cannot hold the beneficiary financially responsible for the claim.
The use of this waiver protects the provider from payment misunderstandings with a patient and/or having to cover the cost of non-covered services rendered to a TRICARE patient.
Non-covered services list (the list is not all inclusive).

Update to TRICARE's Childbirth and Breastfeeding Support Demonstration (CBSD)

August 24, 2023

TRICARE’s Childbirth and Breastfeeding Support Demonstration allows Certified Labor Doulas (CLD), lactation consultants or lactation counselors to provide care to eligible beneficiaries.

Effective July 25, the following telemedicine services for the CBSD are no longer included:

Audio-only breastfeeding counseling
Antepartum and postpartum care visits

Please note: All childbirth support services provided by a Certified Labor Doula (CLD) must be in-person.

Spotting kickbacks

June 1, 2023

What is a kickback? It’s an illegal payment for preferential treatment or improper services received.

When healthcare providers receive kickbacks, it undermines the integrity of federal healthcare programs. Kickbacks can taint medical decision-making, increase healthcare costs, and adversely affect competition. Federal law bans using solicitation or illegal payment to tempt someone to purchase a good or service that is paid for by a federal healthcare program.

For example, a provider advises you that they need your personal information in order to bill insurance for some testing. They say there will be no cost to you because it will be covered. In fact, they even offer to give you a gift certificate or to pay you. This is a kickback because the provider offers a gift or payment in exchange for sharing your information, which will be used to file a claim.

According to the Department of Justice, settlements and judgements made under the False Claims Act exceeded two billion dollars in fiscal year 2022, the second highest amount in settlement history.

You are an important partner in the campaign against fraud and abuse. If you suspect something, you should report it. Call (800) 333-1620. We are here to help answer your questions and respond to your concerns.

Increase in number of milk bags covered every 30 days

May 9, 2023

Starting on May 3, 2023, TRICARE now allows a refill of 100 breast milk supply bags every 30 days following a birth event. This is an increase from 90 bags.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

May 1, 2023

Supporting the health and well-being of our military service members and their families is the most important thing we do. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and DoD is fighting the stigma with seeking help. At Humana Military, we offer you behavioral healthcare (in-person and via telemedicine) as well as webinars and community groups—we want you to get the care and support you need when and where it’s convenient for you.

Referrals are required for Active Duty Service Members (ADSM).

Beware of COVID-19 scams

January 25, 2023

As a reminder, TRICARE covers COVID-19 tests at no cost when ordered by a TRICARE-authorized provider.

TRICARE does not cover COVID-19 testing that is not medically necessary for those who have no symptoms*. You should be on alert for fraud schemes related to COVID-19 testing.

The US Health and Human Services is warning about testing sites, phone calls, texts, social media and in-person visits for these COVID-19-related scams.
By asking questions about vaccine status, selling fake testing kits (both at-home and door-to-door) and requesting enrollment into bogus trials, scammers are gathering personal details
Never share your personal or health information with anyone other than a trusted medical professional.
Remember, if it is too good to be true, it usually is. Be cautious if you get an offer from an unknown source and make sure it is real before acting.

* Exceptions exist for Active Duty Service Members (ADSM).

Pharmacy network changes

December 20, 2022

Retail pharmacies

On Jan. 1, 2023, the Kroger family of pharmacies will leave the TRICARE network. This includes pharmacies at Kroger, Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer, Smith’s Food and Drug and King Soopers. After this date, if you fill a prescription at a Kroger family pharmacy, you will have to pay the full price*.

You still have a large network of retail pharmacies near where you live, and you can continue to use TRICARE Home Delivery and military pharmacies.

Here are ways to transfer your drug prescriptions (for non-specialty medications):

Call the new pharmacy to transfer the prescription, or ask your doctor to call.
Bring the prescription label to your new pharmacy.
Ask your doctor to send a prescription electronically to TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery if your drug is available.
Move eligible prescriptions.
Call (877) 363-1303, and choose option 3.

*You may file a claim for reimbursement to get the retail non-network pharmacy co-payments.

Specialty drugs

On Jan. 1, 2023, the TRICARE retail pharmacy network for specialty drugs will change to Accredo. In order to pay only network copays, you must move the prescription to a network pharmacy on or before this date. Here are ways to transfer your specialty prescriptions:

Accredo Specialty Pharmacy
Another network pharmacy
TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery or
A military pharmacy

Here are some tips for filling your specialty medication prescription:

Check with your local military pharmacy to see if they stock the drug and if so, how to transfer your prescription
Find participating pharmacies through the TRICARE formulary search tool
Call Accredo at (877) 882-3324
Home infusion medications can be dispensed and will be covered by the pharmacies listed above and home infusion providers.
Beneficiaries prescribed compound medications will need to fill their prescriptions at a network pharmacy. If a beneficiary is unable to locate a pharmacy or needs additional support, please email Express Scripts

Update to Phillips Respironics recall

December 20, 2021

The FDA has released an update regarding the recall of certain Philips Respironics ventilator devices and Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) devices. In November 2021, FDA posted an announcement related to a potential issue with the foam used for repair and replacement devices.

The FDA has requested that Philips Respironics retain an independent laboratory to perform additional testing to determine what, if any, potential safety risks may be posed to patients by the silicone-based foam. While this independent testing is performed, the FDA does not recommend that patients who have participated in the repair and replace program discontinue use of their product. The FDA has reached this determination based on an overall benefit-risk assessment. At this time, the agency has determined that discontinuing use of one of these devices may be more harmful to a patient’s health and quality of life. The results from the independent testing are needed to determine if the silicone-based foam used in the repaired devices does in fact present any risks to patients, and the FDA will communicate those results to the public as soon as they are available

COVID-19 booster vaccine for immunocompromised

November 9, 2021

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), people who are considered immunocompromised may not build the same amount of immunity to the two-dose COVID-19 vaccine series compared to those who are not immunocompromised. Therefore, it is important for anyone who is immunocompromised to receive his or her third dose of the vaccine, 28 days after your second dose, beginning this fall.

See vaccine recommendations for the immunocompromised or more information.

Anyone who has not received the COVID-19 vaccine should do so as soon as possible.

Find out more: