TRICARE open season starts Nov. 9. What Prime and Select will cost in 2027

Military families and retirees who want to enroll in TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select, or switch between them, can do so from Monday, Nov. 9, through Tuesday, Dec. 8. Changes take effect Jan. 1, 2027. The Defense Health Agency has posted next year’s costs, including fees and deductibles that can change the math for retirees choosing between the plans.

If you’re already enrolled and want to keep the same plan, TRICARE says your coverage continues as long as you remain eligible. Families considering a switch should check whether their doctors are in network and which services require referrals before comparing fees. A lower enrollment fee can be offset by deductibles and copays if you expect several visits next year.

Who should act by Dec. 8

Open season lets eligible beneficiaries join a Prime option or Select, switch plans or move between individual and family enrollment. The window does not apply to active duty service members, people using TRICARE For Life, or people enrolled in premium-based plans such as TRICARE Reserve Select, TRICARE Retired Reserve and TRICARE Young Adult. Those plans have separate enrollment rules.

If you qualify for Prime or Select and are currently unenrolled, missing Dec. 8 has a different consequence than simply keeping your existing plan. TRICARE says you would generally be limited to space-available care at a military hospital or clinic. Outside open season, a qualifying life event such as a move, marriage or retirement can open another opportunity to enroll or change plans. Check the rules for the specific event rather than assuming you can make a change any time during the year.

Prime generally assigns you a primary care manager and uses referrals for many specialist visits. Availability depends on where you live. Select gives you more flexibility to see TRICARE-authorized providers, but network status matters to your bill. If you already have a specialist or a course of treatment scheduled for January, check both the provider’s network status and the plan’s referral requirements before switching.

How 2027 fees compare

The Defense Health Agency’s 2027 tables separate costs by beneficiary type and sponsor entry date. Group A generally covers sponsors who first enlisted or were appointed before Jan. 1, 2018. Group B covers those who entered on or after that date. The Military Officers Association of America found that most Prime and Select costs rose at or slightly above the 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment.

For a retiree family in Group A, the standard annual enrollment fee is $792.96 for Prime and $388.92 for Select, a difference of $404.04. Prime has no annual deductible. Select has a $300 family deductible and its standard in-network primary care copay is $40, compared with $27 under Prime. Those charges make the annual enrollment fee only one part of the comparison. The standard Group A Select catastrophic cap is $4,538, with a lower cap for certain beneficiaries, including qualifying medically retired families and survivors.

The fee comparison goes the other way for a Group B retiree family. Prime’s standard annual enrollment fee is $960 and Select’s is $1,233.96. Active duty families have no annual enrollment fee for either plan, but Select deductibles still vary by pay grade and group. Use the row for your household rather than applying retiree figures to an active duty family or assuming another family’s bill will match yours.

Where to enroll and which deadline applies

TRICARE lists three ways to make an election: online through Beneficiary Web Enrollment, by phone through your regional contractor, or by mail or fax using the applicable enrollment form. The agency’s open-season page links to instructions for each plan.

Eligible military families shopping for federal dental or vision coverage use BENEFEDS. That enrollment period also starts Nov. 9 but runs through Dec. 14. A dental or vision election through BENEFEDS does not change your TRICARE health plan. For a Prime or Select change that starts Jan. 1, the deadline is Dec. 8.