Tricare Standard In The Philippines

[Art2ro]

I just started this topic to find out if there are any interest on this subject. I too am new to all this TRICARE business and would also appreciate any info or feed back concerning this subject matter! All I can provide for now is, that I get most of my helpful information from Mr. Jim Boyd, who is the director of the (RAO) RETIREE ACTIVITIES OFFICE in the Angeles City area who does a great job in assisting military families about on everything concerning military benefits, especially on TRICARE matters. You can do a Google search to find his website. Read his newsletters I & II, it has lots of important information concerning military benefits. I hope this little tid bit of info helps!

Here's the link to Mr. Jim Boyd, the director of the RAO in Angeles City, http://www2.mozcom.com/~rao_cabr/

Has anyone ever submitted their TRICARE reimbursement claims via FAX? Please give me some feed back if you have done so. I would appreciate to know how their FAX system is doing. Thanks!FILING INDIVIDUAL TRICARE CLAIMS VIA FAX: PHILIPPINE MEMBERS ARE NOW ALLOWED TO FILE TRICARE CLAIMS (DD FORM 2642) VIA FAX TO WPS FOR REIMBURSEMENT… PREPARE YOUR CLAIM AND INSTEAD OF MAILING, YOU ARE ALLOWED TO FAX TO 1-608-301-2251 AND THAT WILL SPEED UP THE REIMBURSEMENT PROCESS CONSIDERABLY… IF YOU NEED TO FOLLOW UP OR HAVE ANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE CLAIM YOU CAN FAX TO: 1-608-301-2250… PLEASE NOTE THERE IS A FAX NUMBER FOR CLAIMS AND ANOTHER FAX FOR CORRESPONDENCE… THE FAX SYSTEM IS AN OPTION AND YOU CAN STILL USE THE MAIL SYSTEM…

If some of you are retired Civil Service and combined with a Military pension, you may be in the same situation I was in before and after I retired! Hear me out if the following applys to you, it may be of interest to you and save you thousands of dollars each year! Does anyone have a retired Civil Service civilian medical health plan in conjunction with their retired military TRICARE health plan? When I finally started receiving my USAFR military pension and medical health benefits through TRICARE last year, I was allowed to "suspend" (not terminated or cancelled) my Civil Service "civilian" medical heath plan which the monthly premiums of $500 was returned back to me and still have my military TRICARE health benefits cover me and my wife in the Philippines! On top of that, TRICARE Standard doesn't have any monthly premiums when residing overseas, but the premiums on the Medicare Part B when I reach 65 is such a small amount each month, nothing compared to the $500 that I was pissing away! That $500 a month is extra money now and is going into our piggy bank each month! Before, that $500 was deducted automatically from my government pension whether or not we used our "Civilian" medical health plan(money down the drain each month)! So now, if and when we ever get sick, it's a pay as we go basis and we just file a reimbursement claim later on after the fact as to what we spent on our medical cost within the year here in the Philippines or elsewhere! Works out pretty well for us and that $500 is back in our pockets each month! It comes down to the question of, will you be happy with TRICARE? That's why I just suspended (not terminated) my civilian medical health plan, because I still have the option to reinstate it if I want to do away with TRICARE all together. I'm new to TRICARE and haven't used it yet! Guess what? We have hospitals, clinics, certified TRICARE health providers and a pharmacy just across the street from where we live! We'll find out eventually how TRICARE will be, but in the mean time, that $500 extra cash is in our piggy bank each month!

Edited January 29, 2010 by Mr. Lee