Health Care

Moving with TRICARE

Whether moving stateside or overseas, active duty families can now switch their TRICARE Prime enrollment by phone! Before you start your move, contact your losing TRICARE health care contractor to see if you need to switch to a new region. TRICARE does the rest! You must update DEERS (Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System) with your new address so you do not have any disruptions in service and your enrollment moves with you. Get contact information, and more TRICARE moving tips on the TRICARE website.

Your TRICARE coverage is completely portable—meaning it moves with you. You are covered worldwide—both in-transit to your new duty location and once you arrive—but depending on where you go, you may use a different TRICARE health plan option. Additionally, you may have different enrollment steps depending on which health plan option is available in your new area.

When Enrolled in a TRICARE Prime Option

The TRICARE Prime options include TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Prime Remote for stateside and TRICARE Prime Overseas and TRICARE Prime Remote Overseas for overseas. Follow these simple steps to set-up Prime coverage in your new location without a break in coverage.

1. Do not disenroll from your TRICARE Prime option before you move.
2. Call your losing contractor and provide information about your upcoming move; new duty station, expected date of arrival, cell phone number, valid email address, and eligible family members moving to the new location.
3. Your losing contractor passes the information along to your new contractor.
4. Within five days of your anticipated arrival, your new contractor will try to call/contact you to confirm your arrival and enrollment choices.
5. Once you agree to the transfer, the process is complete. It could take up to four days, but you never lose TRICARE Prime/Prime Remote coverage.

There are other ways to set-up Prime in your new area:

1. Before moving, visit your local TRICARE Service Center to complete an enrollment change form.
2. Go online and set-up your new enrollment via the Beneficiary Web Enrollment Website
3. Download and complete a TRICARE Prime Enrollment Application and PCM Change Form. Mail it to the new contractor or drop it at a lo cal TRICARE Service Center.
4. Enroll when you in-process at your new duty station.

Enrollment and assignment of a new primary care manager (PCM) should occur within 30 days when moving within the same region, moving to a new region or overseas.

Update your personal information in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) immediately, as your new location reflected in DEERS is the key to transferring enrollment.

Where you are moving determines which Prime option is available.

Prime options in the united states

TRICARE Prime

TRICARE Prime is offered in Prime service areas—geographic areas typically located around a military treatment facility—throughout the country.

TRICARE Prime Remote

In non-Prime service areas, which are generally 30 minute drive-time or 30 miles from the nearest MTF, TRICARE offers TRICARE Prime Remote. Enrollment is normally with a network provider when available; otherwise, enrollment is with a TRICARE authorized provider who manages all of your care. Any TRICARE-eligible family members living with you in a TRICARE Prime Remote area can enroll in TRICARE Prime Remote for active duty family members. Be sure to include them on the enrollment form.

Prime options outside the united states

TRICARE Prime Overseas (TOP)/TRICARE Prime Remote Overseas

TRICARE Prime Remote Overseas is a Prime option offered in designated remote overseas locations. Command-sponsored family members who reside with you are eligible for TRICARE Prime Overseas. Be sure to include all family members who wish to use TRICARE Prime Overseas.

Before you move to another overseas area or to an area within the United States, contact the nearest TRICARE Service Center or managed care contractor for assistance.

(1) For toll-free numbers contact www.tricare-overseas.com

(2) Only call Medical Assistance numbers to coordinate overseas emergency care

Using TRICARE standard & extra

TRICARE Standard and Extra are available to family members only. Active duty service members are required to enroll in one of the Prime options described above.

TRICARE Standard and Extra are available throughout the United States and enrollment is not required. Any eligible active duty family member who is registered in DEERS may use these programs by seeing any non-network or network (Extra) TRICARE authorized provider. In areas outside of the United States, active duty family members who do not want to use a Prime option may use TRICARE Standard Overseas by seeing qualified host nation providers.

If you are already using TRICARE Standard and Extra, moving is easy.

1. Once you arrive at your new location, update your personal information in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) immediately.
2. Find TRICARE-authorized providers in your new area.

Here are a few things to remember about using TRICARE Standard and Extra in a new region

• In the U.S.: Visit your new regional contractor’s website for a list of network providers. Remember, if you see network providers, you will be using the Extra option and pay lower cost shares.
• Outside of the U.S.: Contact International SOS or the MTF Servic e Center for help locating a qualified host nation provider. The TRICARE Extra option is not available in overseas areas.
• If you move to a new region, you will have a new claims address for submitting your TRICARE claims.
• Learn your new region’s prior authorization requirements because these requirements can differ by region.

Using TRICARE for life

TRICARE For Life—TRICARE’s supplemental coverage for those who are eligible for Medicare and have purchased Medicare Part B —requires no enrollment and you will have a smooth transition when you move. TRICARE for Life contact information: WPS TRICARE For Life, P.O. Box 7889, Madison, WI 53707-7889; 1-866-773-0404; TDD 1-866-773-0405

• Once you arrive at your new location, update your personal information in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) immediately.
• Find Medicare providers in your new area.
• Visit Medicare’s website.

If you move overseas, your TRICARE For Life coverage may change depending on where you move. In U.S. Territories such as Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, TRICARE For Life coverage works the same as the stateside program. But, in all other overseas locations, TRICARE For Life Overseas works differently because Medicare does not provider coverage in most overseas locations. Therefore, TRICARE is the primary payer. You can get care from any host nation provider and you will be responsible for TRICARE deductibles and cost shares.

Contact International SOS, or the TRICARE Area Office for the overseas area where you are moving, or the nearest American Embassy Health Unit for assistance finding a host nation provider.

Getting care along the way

Routine Medical and Dental Care—Get it before you go.

Before you move, make sure you have received any routine medical or dental care you think you might need during the time you will be traveling. Or, delay the care until you get to your new duty location. Check supply of all prescription medications and get refills/new prescriptions until you can make an appointment with your new Primary Care Manager (PCM) at your new duty site.

Emergency Care in the United States—Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

TRICARE defines emergency care as medical services provided for a sudden or unexpected medical or psychiatric condition, or the sudden worsening of a chronic (ongoing) condition that is threatening to life, limb, or sight and needs immediate medical treatment, or which has painful symptoms that need immediate relief to stop suffering. If you are near a military treatment facility (MTF), you should go to the MTF or military dental treatment facility for emergency services. If you are seen in a civilian facility, contact your PCM or regional contractor within 24 hours.

Urgent care in the United States—Coordinate with your PCM and/or regional contractor

TRICARE defines urgent care as medical care for a condition that will not result in disability or death if not treated immediately but should be treated within 24 hours to avoid further complications. If you are in a Prime program, you must coordinate urgent care with your primary care manager and/or regional contractor before receiving the care. If you are in TRICARE Standard and Extra or TRICARE For Life, you can receive care as you normally would. You should, however, contact your contractor as soon as possible to coordinate any prior authorizations that are needed.

Emergency or Urgent care Overseas follow these steps

• AD and ADFM enrolled in TRICARE Prime and travelling outside the United States: Contact the TRICARE Area Office, or go to their websitefor assistance finding Emergency or Urgent care.
• AD and ADFM stationed overseas:
  • For Urgent care coordination, contact your MTF PCM, or
  • Contact the closest TRICARE Area Office, or
  • Contact the TRICARE Overseas Regional Call Center, or
  • Go to their website (internationalsos.com)

You do not need prior authorization for emergency or urgent care but the TRICARE Area Office or TRICARE Global Remote Call Center will help you find the best care available in the overseas area in which you are traveling.

Filling prescriptions on the road

You should have all your prescriptions filled before you leave, but if you need a prescription filled while you are traveling in the United States, you have several options:

• If near an MTF, fill the prescription at the MTF pharmacy.
• Find the closest TRICARE network pharmacy.
• If a network pharmacy is not available, you can visit a non-network pharmacy. In this case, you may have to pay up front for your medications and file a claim with Express Scripts, Inc., for reimbursement. For more details, visit the TRICARE website
• The TRICARE home-delivery is not recommended for a prescription you need right away, but if you’ll be away for a long time, you can arrange for any regular prescriptions to be filled via the mail-order pharmacy.

Your pharmacy coverage is limited overseas:

• TRICARE network pharmacies are only located in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. You can have prescriptions filled at host-nation pharmacies, if necessary. Host-nation pharmacies are treated the same as non-network pharmacies. If you have prescriptions filled at a host-nation pharmacy, you should expect to pay for the total amount up front and file a claim with Wisconsin Physicians Service for partial reimbursement. To learn more about pharmacy claims, visit the TRICARE website.
• To use the mail-order pharmacy overseas, the prescription must be from a U.S. licensed provider and you must have an APO or FPO address.

If you have questions

Your regional contractors and TRICARE Area Offices are available to answer your questions. These offices are listed above. Find even more information about moving, updating DEERS, the TRICARE regions and much more at the TRICARE website.

Installation specific information

Medical Services

Welcome to the 23rd Medical Group and Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. Our mission is to provide medical and dental services to support the highest degree of readiness for the 23rd Wing and the 93rd Air Ground Operations Wing (AGOW). Located just inside the north gate, the 23rd Medical Group consists of three squadrons: Aeromedical-Dental, Medical Operations and Medical Support. Our group maintains the health and morale of over 17,000 active duty military personnel, family members and other beneficiaries by providing or arranging health care in an extensive community-based system.

As a primary care facility, there are no emergency services available at the 23rd Medical Group. For a medical emergency requiring an ambulance either on or off Moody AFB, call 911 immediately. Our ambulances only respond to emergencies on Moody AFB. Depending on the nature of the emergency, the patient(s) will be transported via ambulance to a local civilian emergency department.

Regular duty hours are Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The MDG closes for training at 10:30 a.m. the first Friday and at 12:00 p.m. the last Thursday of each month. The MDG is also closed on weekends, federal holidays, ACC family days and Wing goal days.

For more information please contact: 229-257-2778 or DSN 312-460-2778.

Dental Service

Dental services available for assigned active duty personnel include: examination, dental hygiene, operative, endodontic, periodontal, temporomandibular pain and oral surgery.

The Dental Clinic is located on the east side of the main building. Enter through the main entrance, turn left and proceed all the way down to the end of the hall on your left.

Clinic Hours: Monday and Wednesday 7:10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

To schedule an appointment or more information please call: 229-257-2778 or DSN 312-460-2778.

Pharmacy Services

Main Pharmacy: The Main Pharmacy is located in the center of the main building. If you enter through the main entrance proceed straight ahead on your left.

Hours: Prescription drop off: Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Prescription pick-up: Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Pharmacy closes from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on wing readiness days and 11:30 a.m. on the last Thursday of each month.

Refill Pharmacy: The Refill Pharmacy is located at the Main Base Exchange next to the Laundry and across from the barber shop. Hours: Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.