TRICARE Premiums & Costs

As of 2026, the Defense Health Agency describes TRICARE as serving about 9.5 million beneficiaries worldwide. Active-duty service members and their family members generally pay $0 in enrollment fees for TRICARE Prime and Select. But the rest of the system is not flat-price coverage. In 2026, retiree enrollment fees differ sharply by plan and by beneficiary group, TRICARE Reserve Select and TRICARE Young Adult use monthly premiums, and TRICARE For Life still requires Medicare Part B. Those annual updates matter: using last year's fee table can understate retiree and reserve costs by hundreds of dollars.

Current Law (2026)

TRICARE provides healthcare coverage to active-duty service members, retirees, Guard/Reserve members, and their families through multiple plan options.

Legal Authority

• 10 U.S.C. § 1074 — Medical and dental care for members and certain former members (active duty entitlement)
• 10 U.S.C. § 1075 — TRICARE Select: establishes self-managed, preferred-provider plan option for beneficiaries
• 10 U.S.C. § 1075a — TRICARE Prime cost sharing: sets copayment structure; members enrolled before/after January 1, 2018 have different cost-sharing tiers (Group A/Group B distinction)
• 10 U.S.C. § 1076 — Medical care for dependents: dependents may receive care in military facilities if space and staff available
• 10 U.S.C. § 1076a — TRICARE dental program: voluntary dental plans for reservists and dependents of service members
• 10 U.S.C. § 1076d — TRICARE Reserve Select: Selected Reserve members may purchase health coverage; excludes those eligible for federal employee health benefits (until January 1, 2030)
• 10 U.S.C. § 1076e — TRICARE Retired Reserve: Retired Reserve members under 60 who qualify for non-regular retirement can purchase coverage
• 10 U.S.C. § 1079 — Contracts for medical care for spouses and children: requires Secretary of Defense to purchase health coverage for dependents of active-duty members
• 10 U.S.C. § 1086 — Contracts for health benefits for retirees, former members, and their dependents
• 10 U.S.C. § 1097d — Notice of benefit changes: Secretary must notify affected TRICARE beneficiaries of major changes electronically, with advance notice
• 10 U.S.C. § 1071 — Purpose of TRICARE (establishes Congressional policy that members and former members of the uniformed services, and their dependents, shall be provided quality medical and dental care)
• 10 U.S.C. § 1110b — TRICARE program: coverage for autism spectrum disorder (requires TRICARE to provide comprehensive coverage for applied behavior analysis and other treatments for autism spectrum disorder in dependents of service members)

How It Works

Active-duty service members and their families pay $0 in TRICARE enrollment fees — no premiums, no deductibles for in-network care under Prime, minimal copays for covered services. This benefit is automatic; dependents on active-duty orders are covered without separate enrollment action. Retirees under 65 choose between two plan structures: TRICARE Prime (HMO-style, requires a primary care manager (PCM) for referrals, lower cost-sharing) and TRICARE Select (PPO-style, direct access to any TRICARE-authorized provider, higher cost-sharing). Which tier you're in depends on when your sponsor entered service: under 10 U.S.C. § 1075a, members who first enrolled before January 1, 2018 (Group A) pay significantly less than those entering service on or after that date (Group B). In 2026, Group A retirees pay $381.96/individual or $765/family annually for Prime, while Group B retirees pay $462.96/$927. The Select gap is even wider: Group A pays $186.96/$375 versus Group B's $594.96/$1,191 per year.

TRICARE For Life (TFL) serves Medicare-eligible retirees as a wraparound plan — it pays after Medicare, covering most remaining cost-sharing and effectively creating near-complete coverage for covered services. The catch: TFL requires enrollment in both Medicare Part A and Part B; the standard 2026 Part B premium is $202.90/month (more for higher-income beneficiaries under IRMAA). TFL itself charges no separate enrollment fee, but beneficiaries effectively pay the Part B premium to maintain TFL eligibility. Pharmacy benefits run across three settings: $0 at military pharmacies, $14/$44/$85 (generic/brand/non-formulary) through the home delivery program, and $16/$48/$85 at retail network pharmacies — with no change for 2026–2027.

Guard and Reserve members in the Selected Reserve who don't have employer coverage can purchase TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS) at $57.88/month (member only) or $286.66/month (member and family) — well below comparable civilian marketplace plans. TRICARE Dental Program (TDP) is available for family members of active-duty and Guard/Reserve at premiums of approximately $13–$39/month depending on coverage tier. The family catastrophic cap limits total annual out-of-pocket exposure: $3,000 for Group A retirees in Prime, $4,381 for Group A in Select, $4,635 for Group B retirees and TRICARE Retired Reserve enrollees, and $1,324 for TRS families following the Group B active-duty-family cap.

How It Affects You

If you're an active-duty service member or family: TRICARE Prime costs $0 in enrollment fees for active duty and their dependents — no premiums, no deductibles in-network, minimal copays. For a family that would otherwise pay $12,000–$20,000 per year for comparable employer coverage, this benefit is worth significant money in total compensation terms. Your family is automatically covered; you don't need to take any action to enroll your dependents if they're on active-duty orders. The main decision for active-duty families is whether to use Prime (PCM referral model, no out-of-pocket for network care) or Select (PPO model with more provider flexibility but copays). If you live near a military treatment facility, Prime is almost always the better deal.

If you're a military retiree under 65: Group status drives the math. In 2026, TRICARE Prime costs retirees in Group A $381.96 individual / $765 family per year, while Group B retirees pay $462.96 / $927. TRICARE Select is a much bigger split: Group A retirees pay $186.96 / $375 annually, but Group B retirees pay $594.96 / $1,191. That is still often cheaper than civilian coverage, but it is not the near-zero Select enrollment fee this page previously suggested.

If you're a military retiree turning 65: You generally must enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B to use TRICARE For Life. TFL then wraps around Medicare and often leaves little cost-sharing on Medicare-covered services. The catch is the Medicare Part B premium. CMS set the standard 2026 Part B premium at $202.90 per month, with higher IRMAA amounts for higher-income beneficiaries. So TFL has no separate TRICARE enrollment fee, but it is not cost-free in practice.

If you're in the Guard or Reserve without employer coverage: TRICARE Reserve Select is still one of the best-value premium-based plans available, but its premiums are monthly, not annual. For 2026, TRS costs $57.88 per month for member-only coverage and $286.66 per month for member-and-family coverage. That is still very favorable compared with many civilian plans, but it is materially higher than the old $250/$600 per year figures this page previously used.

State Variations

TRICARE is federal with no state variations. However, state laws regarding provider networks, balance billing protections, and insurance regulation may interact with TRICARE Select's out-of-network provisions.

Implementing Regulations

• 32 CFR Part 199 — TRICARE (Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services — enrollment fees, cost sharing, premium rates for TRICARE Prime, Select, Reserve Select, and Young Adult)
• 32 CFR Part 199 — Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS/TRICARE) (eligibility, benefits, cost-sharing, network providers, prior authorization, claims processing, dual-eligible beneficiaries, TRICARE for Life, TRICARE Reserve Select, TRICARE Young Adult; 24 sections — the foundational TRICARE regulatory framework)

Pending Legislation (119th Congress)

As of April 8, 2026, no enacted federal law has changed the core 2026 TRICARE fee structure summarized above. The live issues for this page are annual DHA fee updates, Medicare Part B interaction for TRICARE For Life, and plan-design questions such as reserve eligibility, fertility coverage, and travel benefits.

Recent Developments

• Jan. 1, 2026: DHA's 2026 fee tables took effect. The biggest changes for this page were updated retiree enrollment fees, updated monthly premiums for TRICARE Reserve Select and TRICARE Young Adult, and updated catastrophic caps and pharmacy copays.
• Nov. 6, 2025: TRICARE published its 2026 Costs and Fees fact sheet and 2026 health-plan-cost guidance so beneficiaries could review changes before open season.
• Jan. 1, 2025: The new T-5 regional contracts began in the United States, while six states shifted from the East Region to the West Region under the new arrangement.
• 2026: TRICARE For Life continues to function as Medicare-wraparound coverage for eligible beneficiaries who maintain Medicare Part A and Part B, so annual CMS Part B premium updates remain a practical cost driver for many military retirees.