Tricare can help cut medical costs

Dear Sgt. Shaft:

We would like to learn more about Tricare coverage before dropping our Mail Handlers Benefit Plan insurance.

Our current health coverage is as follows: My husband has Medicare Part A and B, Tricare for Life and Mail Handers Standard Option. I have Mail Handlers Standard Option and Tricare Standard.

I took Mail Handlers insurance for the both of us when I retired in 1994 from the federal government. I have been laid off from my job and want to cut back expenses; therefore, I want to learn more about Tricare benefits. From what organization in Philadelphia can we learn about Tricare?

Diana

Via the Internet

Dear Diana:

It isn’t clear from your missive if both you and your spouse are eligible for Medicare. If so, you will save considerable money by using Medicare and Tricare for Life.

Bud Schneeweis, a Tricare specialist at the Military Officers Association of America, recommends that you communicate with a Tricare service center in Region North. According to the Tricare Web site (www.tricare.mil), the nearest Tricare service center to Philadelphia is at the McGuire Air Force Base clinic in New Jersey, 877/874-2273.

Shaft notes

• The Department of Defense has announced a new approach for governance and management of the military health care system. Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England approved the plan, at this time a conceptual framework, on Nov. 27.

The concept creates joint oversight and leadership of several key functional areas in the health care system: education and training, medical research, health care delivery in major U.S. markets and critical shared services.

Objectives of the new approach are to streamline operations, create greater efficiencies and cost savings, improve coordination of medical services, improve support to war fighters, leverage better medical research, and create greater standardization in training of military medical personnel.

This approach for governance responds to departmental direction that the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, Joint Staff and military services work together to improve management performance and efficiency of the military health care system.

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