{"id":49872,"date":"2018-11-08T18:23:42","date_gmt":"2018-11-08T18:23:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/11\/08\/military-retirees-must-act-now-to-keep-dental-insurance-coverage\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:43:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:43:35","slug":"military-retirees-must-act-now-to-keep-dental-insurance-coverage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/pay-benefits\/2018\/11\/08\/military-retirees-must-act-now-to-keep-dental-insurance-coverage\/","title":{"rendered":"Military retirees must act now to keep dental insurance coverage"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Did you know if you have retiree dental insurance at Tricare, you must act by Dec. 10 to keep it? Learn about upcoming Tricare changes here.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

Are you ready for the big change coming to dental coverage <\/a>for military retirees and their families?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the 1.4 million beneficiaries who are enrolled in the Tricare Retiree Dental Program, that program ends Dec. 31.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All military retirees will be eligible to enroll in the federal employee dental program for coverage that begins Jan. 1. That includes another 1.3 million eligible retired beneficiaries who aren\u2019t currently enrolled in TRDP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No retiree is automatically enrolled in the new program \u2014 called the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program<\/a>. Retirees must enroll, and they must do it during a specific time frame, starting Nov. 12 and ending Dec. 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a big culture change on many levels,\u201d said Kathy Beasley, a retired Navy captain who is director of government relations for health affairs at the Military Officers Association of America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRetirees now have choices, and they have to make these choices in a narrow frame of time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Retirees have a month to look at the choices available and determine what kind of coverage is best for them and their families. But advocates and experts advise starting that research early. The details of each plan are available at Tricare Benefeds<\/a>, which includes an online tool for comparing the features of the plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Information was not available from the American Dental Association about whether more dentists are willing to accept FEDVIP plans than the current Tricare Retiree Dental Program, or whether FEDVIP plans in general cover more of patients\u2019 dental care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in an article in ADA News<\/a> on Sept. 6, the chair of the ADA Council on Dental Benefit Programs stated that the benefits of patients using the Tricare Retiree Dental Program \u201cmay be significantly different\u201d following enrollment in the FEDVIP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dentist offices \u201cshould have a conversation about the patients\u2019 needs and their new benefits, along with explaining the office\u2019s financial policies,\u201d said Dr. Steven Snyder, in the ADA News article. \u201cExperiences that offices have with the national carriers already participating in the federal plan may give them a sense of what to expect in terms of processing policies and documentation requirements for claims for these patients.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t