With so many different types of healthcare coverages out there it’s not an easy process going about finding the best coverage for those of military service and their family. One of the most important benefits of military service is Health Care. TRICARE is a healthcare program by the Department of Defense that provides health care coverage for medical services, medications, and dental care for military families and retirees and their and survivors. “The United States Department of defense operates a substantial program to provide medical services to active duty and retired members of the armed forces, their dependents, and their survivors through the Military Health Services System (MHSS)” (Shi & Singh, 2012). “The MHSS is equipped to provide medical care worldwide” (Shi & Singh, 2012). “It operates 59 hospitals and 364 clinics to serve an eligible population of 9.6 million at a annual budget of $50 billion, according to the Department of Defense” (Shi & Singh, 2012). …show more content…
Active Duty and Guard and Reserve service members are automatically enrolled in TRICARE Prime. However military dependents and retirees must choose the TRICARE option that best suits their needs. One of the most important benefits of TRICARE is guaranteed insurance at a low premium. More benefits associated with TRICARE includes a broad choice of care providers, no enrollment fee, wide availability and the option of using the TRICARE Extra program, which allows the insured to select any physician, in or out of network. TRICARE also offers the services of military health care and provides supplemental services from civilian health care networks and