Should Someone with Tricare Consider MAPD/MA Plans?

[Tom Highway]

I know that veterans who are not retired, and go to the VA for prescriptions are pretty good candidates for MA plans, and even some MAPD plans.

How about the retired military folks who have Tricare for life? Would there be any reason they'd get a MAPD/MA plan, or even a supplement?

 

[patch36]

Absolutely not. IMO.

 

[MedSuppPro]

Absolutely not. IMHO.

Thanks, Tom!

 

[retread]

Absolutely not. That makes 3 of us.

 

[arnguy]

NO! That makes four of us.

 

[scottfree]

Just to add to the list........

No!

 

[Slim]

My Dad had it and I was told he also had a Med-Supp too.

Before he died and after he got out of a bad hospital stay , I mentioned he should look into the SNP MA for people w/ chronic needs. He had 2 or 3 chronic conditions .

Maybe it would not have made any difference , but he was not getting care needed and was eligible for IMO.

The Medicare and You Book cautions anyone considering leaving Tri-Care.

 

[patch36]

If he recd poor care it was the fault of the provider, not Tri-Care. My father had Tri-Care also. He was retired military. It worked just like a Med Sup except it also had drug coverage. It is superior to anything we sell.

 

[MedSuppPro]

Several years ago TriCare took in a large group of Vets whom were promised health care for life when they enlisted. That's when my TriCare Vet's dropped their MedSupp. It would have been a waist of their money to have a MedSupp. And it would be criminal to put them in a Medicare Advantage Plan!

 

[Tom Highway]

OK, several of you have said no, but I haven't fully heard why not.

On p. 73 of medicare & you, it says that folks with Tricare for life should keep their original plan, but I believe that is referring to their prescription plan through Tricare, not MAPD (or more so MA) overall.

As I understand it, Tricare becomes secondary to Medicare, picking up the 20% coinsurance, and would become secondary to an MA plan that a vet would choose.

The big downside of joining a MA plan would be a limited physician network, but I'm just not seeing a lot of other negatives. I know there have to be some because all I've ever heard is to NEVER put a Tricare for life person in a MA plan, but I've never fully learned why not.