TRICARE
The short answer
Retiring from the military before 65? You keep TRICARE — but coverage is no longer automatic. Enroll yourself and your eligible family in TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select within 90 days of your retirement date (retirement is a Qualifying Life Event). Miss the window and you generally wait for the annual open season. At 65 you move to TRICARE For Life, which requires Medicare Part B.
Retiring Before 65 — What to Do
Who Keeps TRICARE
A military retiree — 20+ years, or a Chapter 61 medical retirement — and eligible family members keep TRICARE for life. Under 65 you use TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select. Separating WITHOUT a retirement ends TRICARE eligibility; the bridge options are CHCBP (below), an employer plan, VA health care if enrolled, or a marketplace plan.
Enrollment Deadline
90 days from your retirement date to enroll in Prime or Select — active-duty coverage does not roll over on its own. If you miss it, you can request retroactive enrollment up to 12 months after retirement; otherwise you wait for TRICARE Open Season (typically Nov-Dec, coverage starting Jan 1) or another Qualifying Life Event.
Retiree Costs (2026)
| Plan | Group A (entered service before Jan 1, 2018) | Group B (entered service on/after Jan 1, 2018) |
|---|---|---|
| TRICARE Prime — annual enrollment fee | $382 individual / $765 family | $408 individual / $817 family |
| TRICARE Select — annual enrollment fee | $187 individual / $375 family | $200 individual / $401 family |
| Catastrophic cap (Select, per family/yr) | $4,381 | $4,635 |
About These Costs
2026 calendar-year amounts; fees adjust every year — verify current figures at tricare.mil/costs before enrolling. Prime has lower per-visit costs but requires referrals; Select costs more per visit but lets you see any TRICARE-authorized provider.
The ACA Marketplace Trap
Don't shop the ACA marketplace expecting subsidies: TRICARE counts as minimum essential coverage, and under IRS premium tax credit rules, being eligible for it generally disqualifies you from the credits that make marketplace plans affordable. You'd pay the full unsubsidized premium — typically far more than TRICARE's enrollment fees. Confirm your own situation with a tax professional if you're considering it.
At 65 — TRICARE For Life
At 65, enroll in Medicare Part B (monthly premium, income-based) and TRICARE becomes TRICARE For Life — it wraps around Medicare with no separate TFL enrollment fee and typically near-zero out-of-pocket for covered care. Without Part B you lose TRICARE coverage; don't skip it.
Dental & Vision
Not included for retirees — enroll separately through FEDVIP (the federal dental/vision program open to military retirees) during open season.
TRICARE Prime
Eligibility
Active duty (mandatory), retirees, some Guard/Reserve
Features
- Assigned PCM (Primary Care Manager)
- Referrals required for specialists
- Lowest cost-sharing
Cost
Free for active duty; retirees pay annual enrollment fee
TRICARE Select
Eligibility
All TRICARE-eligible beneficiaries
Features
- Choose any TRICARE-authorized provider
- No referrals needed
- Higher cost-sharing than Prime
TRICARE Reserve Select
Eligibility
Selected Reserve members not on active duty orders
Cost
Member-only or member-and-family premium rates
TRICARE Young Adult
Eligibility
Dependent children 21-26 (or 23 if in school)
Note
Available when they age out of regular TRICARE
CHCBP — Continued Health Care Benefit Program
Name
Continued Health Care Benefit Program
Eligibility
Transitioning servicemembers and families losing TRICARE
Duration
18-36 months of temporary coverage
Note
Must enroll within 60 days of losing TRICARE eligibility