After protests, a lawsuit, and scheduled payouts of $136 billion over nine years, TRICARE beneficiaries are set to start receiving care under a new provider contract, dubbed “T-5,” in January.

Here’s a quick primer on what this changeover will mean moving forward. Keep up with the latest on your health care by visiting MOAA’s news page.

The Basics: Who and Where

• Humana Military remains the TRICARE East Region contractor under the new setup.
  
  
• TriWest takes over the TRICARE West Region from Health Net Federal Services. TriWest previously held the West Region contract for 17 years (1996-2013).
  
  
• Six states will move from the East to the West: Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin. This move will affect about 1.5 million TRICARE beneficiaries.
  
  
• The new contract will NOT affect TRICARE Overseas users, U.S. Family Health Plan members, or TRICARE For Life beneficiaries.

Changes to Your Care

• Care appointments scheduled under current providers for after the T-5 changeover will be honored, according to the Defense Health Agency.
  
  
• Both Humana Military and TriWest will publish provider directories in November, which will allow beneficiaries to find in-network care for the coming year.
  
  
• According to TRICARE, the new contracts will allow for better referrals between regions, improved access to “highly specialized medical and surgical care,” and more telehealth options.

[RELATED: Looking for a Mental Health Provider? TRICARE’s Directory May Not Help]

What You Need to Do

• East Region beneficiaries should not see a change in their care management.
  
  
• West Region beneficiaries – including those in the six states mentioned above – should receive detailed communications from TriWest regarding any changes in the coming months.
  
  
• TRICARE officials have asked beneficiaries to confirm their Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) information is up to date. This will ensure beneficiaries receive the correct updates.

[UPDATED MONTHLY: MOAA's TRICARE Toolkit]

MOAA and T-5

• MOAA will continue pursuing greater oversight of the TRICARE network, to include a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report addressing access issues in some geographic areas.
  
  
• Regardless of the contractor, MOAA will continue its work to make TRICARE coverage more flexible, allowing beneficiaries to find the care they need. This includes expanding TRICARE Qualifying Life Events (QLEs) to give TRICARE users more options to change plans when facing access-to-care concerns.
  
  
• We continue to serve as a conduit between our members and the Defense Health Agency regarding the on-the-ground results of new policies, new providers, and other changes to your care. Contact legis@moaa.org with your TRICARE feedback, especially with access issues that may be driven by contractor changeover.