MOAA’s TRICARE Toolkit provides insight and tips for navigating your TRICARE benefits. Have a question or suggestion for an upcoming column? Email beninfo@moaa.org. Read other TRICARE Toolkit columns at MOAA.org/tricaretoolkit.

Once again, health care open seasons for TRICARE, Medicare, and the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) are upon us. An “open enrollment” or “season” is a beneficiary’s opportunity to change health care plans without experiencing a qualifying life event.

For those on Medicare, there are two potential opportunities to change plans, depending on your current enrollment.

The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. The AEP is for Original Medicare (OM) (Parts A & B) enrollees who want to switch to a Medicare Advantage Plan (MAP) (Part C) or join OM from a MAP. New plans go into effect Jan 1.

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (OEP) runs from Jan. 1 through March 31. During the OEP, MAP enrollees can switch MAPs or join OM. The change begins the month after the MAP or Medicare completes the change process.

[PREMIUM AND LIFE MEMBER EXCLUSIVE: Transitioning Into Medicare and TRICARE For Life]

Prior to deciding if you need a change, you should ask yourself some, or all, of these questions:

• Are you satisfied with OM?
• Do the additional benefits that MAPs market appeal to you?
• Can you take them at face value, or must you do additional due diligence?
• Has your MAP become too restrictive now that you are older, or has your medical provider told you they’re dropping your MAP at the end of the year?

The TRICARE and FEDVIP open seasons routinely begin on the second Monday in November and run through the second Monday in December. This year, that would equate to Nov. 11 to Dec. 9, with a new plan effective date of Jan. 1, 2025.

[RELATED: 2025 FEDVIP Prices Announced]

What are some of the reasons TRICARE beneficiaries might consider switching from Prime to Select or vice versa? Enrollees that require specialty care might be frustrated having to see their Prime primary care manager for every referral. No such requirement exists under Select.

Select has more flexibility but comes with higher potential out-of-pocket costs; for example, the 2024 catastrophic cap (CC) for Prime is $3,000 versus Select at $4,157. With the 2.5% COLA increase, the Select CC will be about $4,261 in 2025.

[RELATED: MOAA's COLA Watch]

During open season, each FEDVIP beneficiary should check next year’s pricing for dental and vision plans at BENEFEDS.gov. If no changes are made or plans canceled, your current dental and/or vision plan will “roll over” to its new pricing for the next year.