TRICARE Standard and TRICARE Extra

If you do not enroll in one of the TRICARE Prime options, you are covered by TRICARE Standard and TRICARE Extra as long as you remain eligible in DEERS. TRICARE Standard and TRICARE Extra have higher out-of-pocket costs than TRICARE Prime. But, there is no enrollment process for TRICARE Standard and TRICARE Extra, which means there are no forms to fill out and no annual enrollment fees for retirees, their families, and others.

TRICARE Standard and TRICARE Extra give you the freedom to manage your own health care—you don’t have an assigned PCM and you don’t need referrals for care. Prior authorization is required for certain services, such as adjunctive dental care and inpatient behavioral health care, so you’ll need to check with Humana Military to learn about each region’s prior authorization requirements. Because you have the freedom to seek care from any TRICARE-authorized provider in or out of the TRICARE network, you can only seek care from MTFs on a space-available basis.

While the options can be used interchangeably together, it’s important to understand the key differences between TRICARE Standard and TRICARE Extra.