Local Guides
Beaufort is home to Parris Island, MCAS Beaufort, and a naval hospital. If you are a military retiree, here is how Medicare and TRICARE For Life fit together and what to check before you change plans.
Beaufort has a large military community. If you retired from the service and are turning 65, Medicare and TRICARE work together, but only if you set them up the right way.
Beaufort is known for its proximity to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, and a U.S. naval hospital. Wikipedia describes the military as the city's largest economic sector. Many retirees from the service settle in the Beaufort and Bluffton area.
TRICARE For Life is the TRICARE benefit for military retirees and certain family members who are also entitled to Medicare. To keep it, you generally need to be enrolled in both Medicare Part A and Part B and keep paying the Part B premium. Medicare pays first, and TRICARE For Life usually pays most of what Medicare leaves behind.
If you delay Part B because you have TRICARE, you may lose TRICARE For Life and face a lifetime Part B penalty when you do enroll. The time to sign up is when you first become eligible for Medicare. Confirm your situation with TRICARE or an agent before your 65th birthday month.
TRICARE For Life is designed to work with Original Medicare. Joining a Medicare Advantage plan generally means you stop using TRICARE For Life as your second payer, so talk to TRICARE or a licensed agent before you switch. Many people with TRICARE For Life do not need a Medicare Supplement, since TRICARE already fills much of the same gap. A Part D drug plan is still a separate decision, so compare your options.
Rules can differ for spouses, surviving spouses, and dependents, and for people who are not yet 65. Get the details for your own family before you decide.
Skyler Abilla is a licensed Medicare agent in Bluffton. Call (843) 284-6815 or book a free call. For TRICARE questions, contact TRICARE directly.
Source: General TRICARE For Life and Medicare rules; U.S. Census Bureau 2020 figures as reported on Wikipedia for Beaufort, South Carolina. Confirm your own details with TRICARE.
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