Hi :)

[G22]

Welcome and congrats! I agree with Stan, I'm a fan of Tricare Prime. That's what I've had for the past 4 years and have very little complaints. Outside of getting married and entered into DEERS its pretty simple to get on Tricare, I believe.

[maebyfunke]

Hi, congrats, and welcome!

You and your H need to take your marriage certificate and ID to base so that he can get you into DEERS and get your military ID for base/commissary/BX/medical facility access.

We've had great experiences with Tricare Prime. H, our son, and I have all had surgeries (and had a baby), and all we owed was $3 because we filled a prescription at the hospital pharmacy rather than the base pharmacy. Experiences with military facilities seem to vary by base, but Tricare Standard is also an option for you as a dependent if you'd like to be seen off base; you'll have a copay with Standard.

[audette]

Hi! I got tagged...


I have a job, but they put me back on part-time hours for 2015. So I no longer get health benefits. But, I have been doubly-insured before, and it's _awesome_. You can see any of the providers you can thru your work's insurance, but Tricare will almost always pick up the co-pays. So, you get more choice of provider than you would with Tricare, and often an easier time getting to see specialists, but you have less out of pocket expense. All you have to do is let your provider know you are doubly insured, provide your work's insurance details (you probably have a card/id for that), and say you are also covered by Tricare, and show your military id. The doc's office should handle all the billing. So long as your cost for your employer's insurance plan isn't huge, I'd keep it.


There are some bases and some positions that your spouse might have that could require your spouse to live on base (very, very few, though, so this is unlikely to be an issue). In those instances, there would be no housing allowance provided to your spouse because they had on-base housing. But, even then, you always have the option of paying out of pocket for housing offbase.


Otherwise, there may be events/socials/whatever that you'll get invitations for as a spouse. You can pick and choose which ones you want to accept and attend. Some events may be mandatory for your spouse, and it might be encouraged for you to attend, but it's still up to you if you want to go. There may also be email lists/facebook pages/etc that have information locally for military folks that would be worth signing up for.


It can be difficult to maintain a career thru the various household moves. Being a trailing spouse can really suck. If you can find a telework opportunity in your field, jump on it, and hold on for dear life. They are few and far between, but are much easier to maintain thru all the moves. Since I shifted to telework, we've lived in 4 different states, and one overseas country...


Anyways, welcome to the crazy known as military life.

[pennylane]

Welcome to the board! My H is Navy, but not boat Navy so our experience has been a little different than most. But if you end up having Navy specific questions, I can do my best to answer.

I've always been on Tricare Prime and just use the closest MTF. I haven't had any issues, but I typically only need routine care. If you have special medical circumstances I could see if being worth using Tricare Standard.

Ditto the rec to look for any facebook pages for whatever base you are at- they can be a huge help with getting acclimated. The initial getting into DEERS process has been covered, but I'd also make sure your FI fills out the form for the Ombudsman to be in contact with you if he hasn't already. The Ombudsman can act like a go between for you and your FI's command if the need ever arises. They are also usually the people sending out all the info about what's going on, and can point you to specific resources that you may need along the way.

There's also a class offered at most Navy bases called COMPASS for new spouses. I've never been but they probably cover all of the basic need to know info.

[killercupcake]

Good god, I miss Tricare Prime.

They can be a pain in the ass sometimes, as all insurance companies can, but it's well worth it in the end compared to the others. Definitely compare it against your health insurance. The cost cannot be beat anywhere else though, so I'd switch in a heartbeat.

Welcome.

[amaristella]

Hi. My husband is Navy also. He is Supply Corps so that is usually the perspective that I take on things. There's not really much you need to do if he's not going out to sea any time soon other than to enroll in DEERS, get your ID and enroll in Tricare.

When they go out to sea your only link sometimes is the Ombudsman so never let him go out to sea without that person's contact info. because it might be very difficult (practically impossible sometimes) to get it otherwise. I do recommend being familiar with the FRG (family readiness group) even if yours isn't very good or you don't hang out with them.

We're here if you run into any specific situations and have questions. Or just want to chat or vent.

I just remembered also, your husband will need to update his page 2 info. if you are moving and to reflect that you are now his dependent. That is usually something they can do through their command or at the PSD office. It's important because if you are not living on base then he is eligible for the with dependent rate on BAH so might as well take advantage of that. You shouldn't need to prompt him to do those things but it's good to know in case he forgets.

There's a lot of resources available to you. My husband and I just had wills made with base legal (no charge!). When he's gone I've always had powers of attorney done for anything I might need to do.

[audette]

Oh - about the job thing, then... When the servicemember PCS's (moves to a new base/post) you can get spousal preference for jobs connected to the new base. You can only use that preference once per move, but if you're currently a contractor, it would be useful to know that this is an option when you move. I think you have to apply/sign up for spousal preference. I think our orientation/welcome here (we recently moved) mentioned that there was an employment office, or something like that who could help us with that application.

[pennylane]

@happybythekilowatt My H is aviation too.

[ggirl]

Mar 5, 2015 23:50:06 GMT -5 killercupcake said:

Good god, I miss Tricare Prime.

They can be a pain in the ass sometimes, as all insurance companies can, but it's well worth it in the end compared to the others. Definitely compare it against your health insurance. The cost cannot be beat anywhere else though, so I'd switch in a heartbeat.

Welcome.

Truth. I'm dreading the hospital bills after labor and delivery and the baby having random complications (not too serious but I'm sure it will be costly). I had standard though. But yeah.

Also Hi HBTK!! I have really nothing to offer but wanted to say hi!

[Deleted]

They pretty much covered it.

Welcome the the military spouse life!