July 7, 2016 Grill Up Food Safety this Summer According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 6 Americans get sick from eating contaminated food each year. TRICARE wants to help you practice food safety this summer. Food poisoning peaks in the summer months because warmer temperatures cause foodborne germs to grow. There
June 24, 2016 Make sure your military kid has access to care If you have a new baby or have adopted a child, take the necessary steps to give your child access to health care when they need it. Step one; register your child, newborn or adoptee, in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). You don’t have to wait the 2-6 months it may take
June 16, 2016 Living Your Ideal Lifestyle is at the Core of Free Smoking Cessation Program Are you living your ideal lifestyle? If your answer is no, you’re not alone. It can be tough to make lifestyle changes part of your daily routine. For example, smoking less and starting an exercise routine can help you quit smoking, but it’s not easy to design your lifestyle around those small
June 7, 2016 Summer Time is Disaster Prep Time Summer rays and cool breezes can quickly turn into unexpected lightning and blinding rains. TRICARE makes it easy to get the care you need in the event of a natural disaster. In emergencies, the Department of Defense (DoD) can approve a waiver of primary care manager (PCM) referrals. Waiving the PCM
May 25, 2016 New TRICARE Coverage of Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder TRICARE recently announced coverage of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) as a treatment for major depressive disorder. TMS is used when other depression treatments have not been effective. Research shows that only half of the patients treated for depressive disorder with medication and talk
May 12, 2016 What You Should Know about Your Blood Pressure Each May, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) encourages everyone to actively learn about preventing and controlling high blood pressure. When you have high blood pressure, the force of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries is too high. When you’re active, it is normal
May 6, 2016 National Women’s Health Week: Make Time to Stay Healthy In this world of busy days trying to balance work and family life, many women still don’t take time to meet their own needs, especially when it comes to their health. Women’s Health Week, which starts with Mother’s Day, is a national reminder for women to find the time they need to give themselves
May 4, 2016 Plan for Proper Care this Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month May is peak season for asthma and allergy sufferers. This month, educate yourself and your loved ones about proper care and treatment for these diseases.More than 50 million Americans suffer from different kinds of allergies – pollen, skin, latex and more. And unfortunately, the rate of allergies is
April 26, 2016 New Urgent Care Pilot Program for Prime Beneficiaries To increase access to care, the Department of Defense is launching an Urgent Care Pilot Program for TRICARE Prime beneficiaries. This program allows Prime enrollees two visits to a network or TRICARE authorized provider without a referral or prior authorization.The Urgent Care Pilot Program,
April 18, 2016 TRICARE Improves Mental Health Care and Treatment People in distress may hesitate to reach out for help due to perceived stigma associated with seeking mental health treatment. This perception and the belief that care may be hard to get, may prevent some people who need care from getting it. TRICARE has worked hard to eliminate potential barriers
April 14, 2016 Webinar to Provide Information about Infants & Immunizations TRICARE is hosting a webinar to talk about infants and immunizations on Monday, April 18, 2018 at noon EST. You don’t have to register before the event, simply join us on the webinar platform accessed here: https://conference.apps.mil/webconf/ImmunizeInfants. For audio, dial 1-877-917-6908, pass
April 14, 2016 New Parent? Call TRICARE’S Nurse Advice Line for Medical Advice New parents have a hard job. And after sleepless nights, new emotions and just trying to figure out the whole parenting ‘thing,’ your new addition isn’t feeling well. Did you know that you can call TRICARE’s Nurse Advice Line (NAL) 24 hours a day, seven days a week? More than half of the calls to
April 5, 2016 TRICARE’S Nurse Advice Line: the Right Choice for Active Adults Do you know that more than half of all adults 65 and older have three or more chronic medical problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or arthritis? Older adults can have multiple health problems and not know whether they need to see a doctor or can administer self-care. Have you
April 4, 2016 TRICARE Waives Referral Requirement for Family Members Evacuated from Turkey The Department of Defense is evacuating about 700 family members of active duty service members from southern Turkey, due to security concerns in the region. TRICARE is waiving the primary care manager (PCM) referral requirement for all evacuated beneficiaries. This will help them get medical care
March 7, 2016 Don’t Snooze on Getting Enough Sleep This week the National Sleep Foundation celebrates Sleep Awareness Week, its annual event to raise awareness about the health benefits of sleep.When you don’t get enough sleep it affects your health, mood, productivity and more. Talk to your health care provider if you are having trouble sleeping.
March 4, 2016 TRICARE to Host Zika Webinar As a TRICARE beneficiary, you may have questions about Zika virus, especially if you’ve recently traveled to a Zika-affected area. TRICARE is hosting a webinar on Wednesday, March 9, 2016, noon EST to answer those questions. To sign up, go to the Zika webinar page. No prior registration is required;
Feb. 23, 2016 Cholesterol and Your Heart’s Health Cholesterol plays an important role in the health of your heart. A build-up of cholesterol and other deposits can block arteries and lead to coronary artery disease (CAD) – the most common type of heart disease in the United States.Knowing if you have high cholesterol is important because it is one
Feb. 17, 2016 Fight Sugar, Brighten Smiles for Children’s Dental Health February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. TRICARE offers two different plans to ensure your child can get the dental care they need. The American Dental Association reports that while all toothpaste helps remove plaque, a film of bacteria that forms on teeth and gums every day and can
Feb. 9, 2016 Get Heart Healthy with TRICARE For individuals already living with heart disease, you know maintaining a heart healthy lifestyle is key to both improving health and possibly reversing some of the effects of heart disease. TRICARE is hosting a webinar on Thursday, February 11, noon EST to help you get heart healthy. To sign up, go
Feb. 2, 2016 TRICARE Pharmacy Changes Effective Now Several changes to the TRICARE pharmacy benefit took effect Feb. 1. First, copays for drugs filled at retail pharmacies and TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery increase slightly. Second, TRICARE Over-the-Counter (OTC) drug coverage becomes a full and permanent part of the TRICARE benefit, requiring that