Tricare

[Heeb]

For those on Tricare I have a question, we currently have Tricare Prime which i understand isn't available overseas, should we cancel that and go with standard or just pay out of pocket while over there and keep the Prime, that way we could come back and use prime for any major medical problems. My wife is on a lot of meds so maybe I should just cancel the Prime so we can make claims for services.

[robert k]

51 minutes ago, Heeb said:

For those on Tricare I have a question, we currently have Tricare Prime which i understand isn't available overseas, should we cancel that and go with standard or just pay out of pocket while over there and keep the Prime, that way we could come back and use prime for any major medical problems. My wife is on a lot of meds so maybe I should just cancel the Prime so we can make claims for services.

If your wife is a Filipina? I would say sign her up for Philhealth, it's peanuts for a Filipino. Your Philhealth would cost a bit more and I don't know how much benefit you would get out of it, but Her's would seem to be a no brainer.

[scott h]

14 hours ago, Heeb said:

Tricare Prime

Tri care prime moves to tri care standard here. We are very, very happy with it.

1st, you must go to an approved provider there is a list on their web page

2nd there is a deductible which must be reached

3rd once the deductible is reached, you pay the full bill, the bill is sent to Singapore to the regional office and then a check is sent to you for the covered amount for medical procedures. 

4th catastrophic illness is completely covered after the 1st 3000 bucks

the only drawback is for medical consultations tri care only pays after 40 dollars that's world wide by my understanding. the problem is that a visit to our hospital costs 43 dollars, so tri care sends us a check for 3 dollars and it costs 2 dollars to cash it at our bank 

Now medications, if is  prescribed by the doctor you fill out a form with the receipts and send it to Singapore and it is reimbursed. Frankly it don't bother as medication is so cheep here.

All the above is by memory and might be off a dollar or two. But if your retired military I do not think you will be sorry.

 

[Arizona Kid]

22 hours ago, scott h said:

Tri care prime moves to tri care standard here. We are very, very happy with it.

1st, you must go to an approved provider there is a list on their web page

2nd there is a deductible which must be reached

3rd once the deductible is reached, you pay the full bill, the bill is sent to Singapore to the regional office and then a check is sent to you for the covered amount for medical procedures. 

4th catastrophic illness is completely covered after the 1st 3000 bucks

the only drawback is for medical consultations tri care only pays after 40 dollars that's world wide by my understanding. the problem is that a visit to our hospital costs 43 dollars, so tri care sends us a check for 3 dollars and it costs 2 dollars to cash it at our bank 

Now medications, if is  prescribed by the doctor you fill out a form with the receipts and send it to Singapore and it is reimbursed. Frankly it don't bother as medication is so cheep here.

All the above is by memory and might be off a dollar or two. But if your retired military I do not think you will be sorry.

 

I'm retired USN and registered at Deers in 2002 in Angeles City. Haven't needed to use Tricare yet but I'm wondering if it's worth the hassle if I ever need to use it. I'll be 67 in Dec. so might need it eventually. Is it worth it? 

[scott h]

36 minutes ago, Arizona Kid said:

I'm retired USN

It is for us.

Example: We use Asian Hospital, When wife needs a check up or what ever......we go to the International insurance office where some very knowledgeable ladies work. She tells them what doctor she wants to see, they call up, insure the doctor is free, prints out some paper work and up we go. After the visit we go to the cashier, pay the co pay, take the paperwork back to the office and they send it to Singapore. 

Having tri care was one of the deciding factors to us retiring here.

Ill try to answer any specific questions you have, or do my best anyway lol

 

[OnMyWay]

23 hours ago, scott h said:

the problem is that a visit to our hospital costs 43 dollars

That is really high.  Is that some kind of Tricare rate?  I saw a pulmonologist at Asian Hospital in 2013 and he only charged me p800, which was very high, but a lot less than $43.

[scott h]

1 minute ago, OnMyWay said:

Is that some kind of Tricare rate? 

My understanding is that Tricare standard went world wide 2016 or 17 I think, and by some government think tank formula they decided that a co pay of 40 dollars was fair, you pay that in the states, the Philippines and even Australia if you use Tricare.

I don't make the rules, just try to follow them (I haven't gone full blown Filipino yet )

[OnMyWay]

4 minutes ago, scott h said:

My understanding is that Tricare standard went world wide 2016 or 17 I think, and by some government think tank formula they decided that a co pay of 40 dollars was fair, you pay that in the states, the Philippines and even Australia if you use Tricare.

I don't make the rules, just try to follow them (I haven't gone full blown Filipino yet )

OK, but if your doctor charges only $25 for a visit, you pay that and you are done.  Or not?  $40 is about over p2000.  What doctor in the Philippines would charge that much for a simple visit?

[scott h]

3 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

only $25 for a visit,

Exactly, in this one case of using Tricare we are screwed by the system and the low cost of living here. Like I say at Asian Hospital it cost about 43 usd for a doctor visit, after the paperwork we get a 3 dollar check from Tricare…………...and our bank charges 2 to cash an overseas check 

Sometimes ya just got to go with the flow 

[OnMyWay]

2 minutes ago, scott h said:

Exactly, in this one case of using Tricare we are screwed by the system and the low cost of living here. Like I say at Asian Hospital it cost about 43 usd for a doctor visit, after the paperwork we get a 3 dollar check from Tricare…………...and our bank charges 2 to cash an overseas check 

Sometimes ya just got to go with the flow 

That is a bit crazy but I guess if you go over 40, and much higher, it pays!

My wife had a CT scan at Asian in 2013, and it was about $218 with the exchange rates then.  A bargain compared to U.S. prices.