Open Season Is Coming: Are You Ready?

Open Season Is Coming: Are You Ready?
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Are you happy with your TRICARE Prime Military Treatment Facility (MTF) or Network? Or do you want more flexibility to see specialist medical providers that TRICARE Select allows? 

Are you frustrated with reaching your catastrophic cap each year with TRICARE Select and want to start being seen in a nearby MTF clinic or hospital? Have you considered a medical insurance supplement? 

Well, the time for changing your plans is right around the corner. Unless you have a qualifying life event*, your medical choices (TRICARE, Dental and Vision) can only be changed during the 2020 Open Season, which begins Monday, Nov. 11, and ends Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. Changes will go into effect Jan. 1, 2020.    

Did you feel rushed making your initial FEDVIP (Federal Employee Dental & Vision Insurance Program) dental or vision insurance plan decision? Are you thinking of switching plans to one that is either cheaper or more comprehensive (higher premiums, but lower co-pays for specialty care like crowns or implants)? You can make changes to those plans on those dates, as well.

[Visit MOAA's Health Care Resources Page]

Let MOAA help you navigate the decision-making process with a one-hour interactive webinar – “How to Shop for a FEDVIP Dental and/or Vision Plan” – on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 2 p.m. Eastern. As always, MOAA monthly webinars are open to the entire military community; you don’t have to be a MOAA member to register and dial in. To register or for more information, click here.

Our financial/benefits subject matter experts, Shane Ostrom, CFP® and Paul Frost, AFC® will help guide you through the BENEFEDS website**, plan comparison tool, and beneficiary eligibility requirements. 

Not available for the live webinar? No worries: If you register for a MOAA webinar but don’t dial in, you’ll receive an email with a link to the recorded program about 48 to 72 hours after airing. This link will be active for about 30 days – watch at your leisure.  

Take advantage of our counselors’ knowledge and expertise! Register now!

*A qualifying life event (QLE) includes: retirement, move, marriage, divorce, birth of a child, death of a beneficiary. Learn more at TRICARE's QLE webpage. Learn more about FEDVIP QLEs here.

** https://www.benefeds.com/ contains the required information and tools to help you make the best decision on which plan(s) are best for you and your family. It is also the primary method for enrolling and telling BENEFEDS, the government’s authorized FEDVIP manager, how you intend to pay for your plan.  Use of the website is much easier, and less time consuming, than enrolling over the phone.  

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About the Author

Capt. Paul J. Frost, AFC®, USN (Ret)
Capt. Paul J. Frost, AFC®, USN (Ret)

Frost co-leads MOAA's Financial and Benefits Education program and is also an accredited Veteran Service Officer (VSO), providing VA disability compensation claim and appeal information and advice to the military community.