Understanding TRICARE: What It Is & Who It Covers
TRICARE is the U.S. Department of Defense’s healthcare program for military service members, retirees, and their families. It functions as a civilian-care component of the military health system, contracting with civilian care providers to deliver services when military treatment facilities are unavailable or when accessing specialty care, like addiction treatment.
Beneficiaries include:
- Active duty service members and their dependents
- Retired uniformed service members and their families
- Reservists and National Guard members under certain plans
- Survivors, spouses, and eligible dependents
- TRICARE for Life (for those who also have Medicare)
TRICARE offers multiple plan types (e.g. TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Select, TRICARE Reserve Select, TRICARE for Life) depending on one’s military status, geography, and eligibility.
Because addiction and substance use disorders (SUD) are recognized as health conditions, TRICARE provides coverage for a wide range of treatment services — so long as they are medically or psychologically necessary and delivered by providers authorized under TRICARE guidelines.