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TRICARE Senior Pharmacy Program Launched An estimated 1.4 million military beneficiaries age 65 and older recently became eligible for one of the best pharmacy benefits available in the U.S. The TRICARE Senior Pharmacy Program will limit out-of-pocket costs and increase access to the National Mail Order Program and retail pharmacies that are part of the Department of Defense network, which include many major chain drug stores. Eligibility Requirements and Medicare Part B The program is open to uniformed services beneficiaries age 65 and over. You must be registered in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) and the new benefits may require you to be enrolled in Medicare Part B. There is no enrollment fee. A current military identification card is all that is needed to verify eligibility. You do not need to live near a government base to use Tricare or the Senior Pharmacy Program. Co-payments and cost sharing Co-payments vary with where you fill your prescription and the type of drug (brand name or generic). See the chart below. To save money for example, the National Mail Order Pharmacy provides three times the value with up to a 90-day supply, versus the retail network with a 30-day supply of medication.
For more information call toll free at 1-877-DOD-MEDS (1-877-363-6337) or online at: www.tricare.osd.mil/pharmacy/newsenior.htm To read a related story from our website, click on the link below: `Washington Weekly Legislative Update for Week of October 13, 2000.`
> This article first appeared in Volume 6, Issue 7 of "The Social Security and Medicare Advisor" newsletter (June/2001). To receive future editions of "The Advisor" in its special, free e-mail version, please click here.
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