OHIO WESTERN RESERVE CHAPTER

 THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE 

1200 DEFENSE PENTAGON

WASHINGTON DC 20301‑1200  

SUBJECT: TRICARE Prescription Drug Benefit is Creditable Coverage Dear TRICARE/Medicare Beneficiary: This notice has information about your current TRICARE prescription drug coverage and the Medicare prescription drug coverage that is available to people who have Medicare Part A and/or Part B. 

Please keep this notice. If you enroll in one of the Medicare prescription drug plans, you may need to provide a copy of this notice to show that you are not required to pay a higher premium. 

There will almost always be no advantage to enrolling in a Medicare prescription drug plan for most TRICARE beneficiaries. The exception is for individuals who have limited income and resources. On average, the TRICARE prescription drug coverage is at least as good as the standard Medicare prescription drug coverage, which means it is creditable coverage. Because the TRICARE prescription drug benefit is creditable coverage, you will not be required to pay extra if you decide to enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan after your Initial Enrollment Period. 

All Medicare prescription drug plans will provide at least a standard level of coverage as required by Medicare. There are two types of Medicare prescription drug plans: 

•        Prescription drug plans that add coverage to the Original Medicare plan. 

•        Prescription drug plans that are part of a managed care plan. Under this option you would also get all of your health care through the managed care plan. 

Before deciding whether or not to enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan, you should compare monthly premiums, deductibles, co pays and drug coverage of various prescription drug plans in your area with your TRICARE prescription drug benefits. For more information about your TRICARE prescription drug benefit, access the TRICARE Pharmacy website at www.tricare.osd.mil/pharmacy. If you do decide to enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan, TRICARE will pay secondary to Medicare. 

Beneficiaries who became eligible for Medicare in February 2006 or later can enroll in the Medicare Prescription Drug Program during their Initial Enrollment Period. The Initial Enrollment Period begins three months before a beneficiary becomes eligible for Medicare and ends three months after. The Initial Enrollment Period is the time that beneficiaries may enroll in Medicare Part A (hospital insurance), Part B (medical insurance) and Medicare Part D (prescription drug coverage). 

• For example, a beneficiary who became 65 years of, age on June 5, 2006 became eligible for Medicare June 1, 2006. Their Initial Enrollment Period began March 1, 2006 and ended September 30, 2006. 

In addition, Medicare beneficiaries can enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan during the Open Enrollment Period (November 15 th ‑ December 31st) each year, with prescription drug coverage beginning January Is' of the following year. 

Under certain circumstances (remarriage, certain divorces, or when children attain age 21 or age 23 if they are a full‑time student) dependents or survivors may lose TRICARE coverage. If this happens and you do not enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan within 62 days of losing TRICARE coverage, you may pay more to enroll in Medicare prescription drug coverage later.   

If you go 63 days or longer without prescription drug coverage that is at least as good as Medicare's prescription drug coverage, your monthly premium will go up at least one percent per month for every month that you did not have that coverage. You will have to pay this higher premium as long as you have Medicare prescription drug coverage. In addition, you may have to wait until the following November to enroll. 

More detailed information about Medicare prescription drug plans is available in the "Medicare and You" handbook. You can also get more information about Medicare prescription drug plans from the following places: 

•  Visit www.medicare.gov for personalized help 
•  Call your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (see your copy of the               "Medicare and You" handbook for their telephone numbers)
•  Call 1‑800‑MEDICARE (1‑800‑633‑4227). TTY 1‑877‑486‑2048 Sincerely, Elder GrangerMajor General, MC, USADeputy Director