Continued health care coverage after TRICARE

Photo By Cpl. Jonah Lovy | The Continued Health Care Benefits Program provides continued coverage after losing military health care benefits. The program is available to service members, their families, former spouses who are not remarried and adult children.  

BEAUFORT, SC, UNITED STATES

02.13.2015

Story by Pfc. Jonah Lovy 

Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort

BEAUFORT, S.C. - Transitioning from active duty can be a stressful time for many service members and their families. An important part of this transition is choosing a new health care provider in the civilian world.

The Continued Health Care Benefits Program provides continued
coverage after losing military health care benefits. The program is
available to service members, their families, former spouses who are not remarried and adult children.

“It’s an option, not a requirement,” said Kaylyn Dunbar, the manage care support liaison at Naval Hospital Beaufort.

The CHCBP is similar to benefits offered by TRICARE but is not the
same program. Premium payments are required for CHCBP and not for TRICARE.

The program offers an individual coverage plan and a family coverage plan. Service members, spouses and other eligible adults qualify for the individual coverage, which costs approximately $1,275 per quarter. The family coverage is reserved for former service members and their families costing approximately $2,898 per quarter.

The coverage is purchased in 90 day increments.

“You can only purchase the benefit for a short period of time,” Dunbar said. “However, this does not give them access to military facilities.”

While covered by the CHCBP, only civilian hospitals are available for medical care.

When looking for civilian health care providers, it helps to have a support system in place. The CHCBP can be that system, designed to help service members transition to the next stage in their lives.

• Date Taken: 02.13.2015
• Date Posted: 02.13.2015 11:57
• Story ID: 154466
• Location: BEAUFORT, SC, US