New TRICARE Prime Fee Payment Process

Published Oct. 1, 2008
By Tiffany Anderson
TriWest Healthcare Alliance

FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- TRICARE rules are expected to change regarding how your TRICARE Prime enrollment fees are paid. As early as 2010, Prime beneficiaries will need to begin making their enrollment fee payments via electronic means.

Keep in mind, active duty service members, their family members, and transitional survivors of active duty service members do not pay enrollment fees.

These changes to payment of TRICARE Prime enrollment fees mean that those TRICARE enrollees who pay enrollment fees will be required to pay them by one of the following methods:

· Allotment from the sponsor's retired military pay; or
· Electronic funds transfer (EFT) from your financial institution established directly to TriWest; or
· Recurring credit card (Visa® or MasterCard®).

When these changes become effective, the only time a check payment will be accepted is for the first payment to cover the next quarterly period while an allotment or other electronic means of payment is being processed.

Learn more about making your electronic payments by logging on to www.triwest.com/epay or calling 1-888-TRIWEST (874-9378) between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.