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The most recent appropriations for the Department of War expired at 11:59 p.m. EST on September 30, 2025. Military personnel will continue in a normal duty status without pay until such time as a continuing resolution or appropriations are passed by Congress and signed into law. Civilian personnel not engaged in excepted activities will be placed in a non-work, non-pay status.
To learn how the lapse in appropriations affects your TRICARE benefit, visit 
tricare.mil/shutdown.

News | Feb. 7, 2023

Find Your TRICARE Costs With Compare Cost Tool

By TRICARE Communications

Would you like to know more about your TRICARE health plan costs? Maybe you’d like to compare different plans to find the most cost-effective one. TRICARE’s online compare cost tool can help you look up your health plan’s costs and review multiple health plan costs at the same time.
 
“It’s important for TRICARE beneficiaries to have a fast, easy way to look up costs associated with their health plan,” said Robert Agnello, deputy chief of Digital Communications at the Defense Health Agency. “With the TRICARE Compare Cost Tool, you can look up costs for covered services, enrollment, and more. You can also see how your plan’s costs compare to other plans.”
 
You’ll start with choosing the health plan you want to look up, such as TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Reserve Select. Based on your selection, you may also need to then choose sponsorship status (active duty, retired, medically retired, or survivor) and beneficiary group (Group A or Group B). As noted in the TRICARE Costs and Fees Fact Sheet, your group determines your enrollment fees or premiums and any other per service out-of-pocket costs that you may have with your health plan.
 
Once you enter your information, the tool will display TRICARE costs. These costs are grouped into categories.
 
1. Conditions
This section contains specific cost information for your health plan. Not every cost applies to every beneficiary and every plan. So, it’s important to understand the conditions that apply to you and your health plan.
 
2. Enrollment fees or premiums
An enrollment fee is the annual amount some beneficiaries must pay for TRICARE coverage. For example, retirees and their family members pay a yearly fee when enrolled in TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select. A premium is the amount you pay for a health plan you purchased, like TRICARE Reserve Select and TRICARE Young Adult. This section will note the costs for a single plan and a family plan.
 
3. Deductibles
An annual deductible is the amount you pay for covered services before cost-sharing begins. You may have a deductible if you have TRICARE Select or if you have TRICARE Prime and see a provider without a referral. Your deductible resets each year.
 
4. Catastrophic cap
This is the most you or your family will pay out of pocket for covered TRICARE health care services each year. Your catastrophic cap resets each year.
 
5. Health plan costs
This section outlines your out-of-pocket costs for TRICARE covered services, including:  
6. Pharmacy costs
TRICARE groups prescription drugs into four categories: generic, brand-name, non-formulary, and non-covered drugs. The pharmacy cost section lists the costs for each drug category based on which type of pharmacy is used.
 
Find your costs quickly with TRICARE Compare Cost Tool. And to help you better understand TRICARE costs you find using the tool, check out Cost Terms.
 
Would you like the latest TRICARE news sent to you by email? Visit the TRICARE Subscriptions page today, and create your personalized profile to get benefit updates, news, and more.
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