TRICARE in the Philippines: Preferred and Certified Providers

TRICARE is a Defense Department benefit for military retirees and their families, not a VA benefit for every veteran, and the Philippines is the one country where it limits which local providers count. TRICARE recognizes two kinds of provider in the Philippines. A Preferred Provider has agreed to TRICARE's reimbursement rates and business rules in designated locations, so the beneficiary owes only the normal deductible and cost-share and may be asked to sign an agreement to pay them at the visit. A Certified Provider has passed TRICARE's on-site verification and can bill TRICARE, but has not accepted the Preferred conditions, so the bill may run above the TRICARE-allowable charge. Any provider in the Philippines that is neither is a non-approved TRICARE provider, except for emergency care. The Preferred Provider Network is open to TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Select and TRICARE For Life beneficiaries, referrals are not required for routine or specialty care, and some services need prior authorization. Global 24 Network Services, a subcontractor of the TRICARE Overseas Program contractor, supports the network in the country. TRICARE's Philippine pages also post notices when a hospital stops being cost-shared, so check the Philippine Provider Search Tool before planning care at a particular facility. TRICARE For Life. Medicare does not pay for care outside the United States and its territories, so in the Philippines TRICARE is the primary payer and the TRICARE deductible, cost-shares and prior authorization rules apply. A beneficiary who is entitled to premium-free Medicare Part A must still keep Medicare Part B to stay TRICARE-eligible, even while living in the Philippines where Part B pays nothing. TRICARE Select for retirees whose service began before January 1, 2018 has carried enrollment fees since January 1, 2021. A TRICARE Prime enrollee from the United States who needs urgent or emergency care while visiting can use any Preferred or Certified provider, and should contact Global 24 within about a day of an emergency. A veteran who is not a military retiree has no TRICARE; VA care in the Philippines is the Manila clinic and the Foreign Medical Program.