The U.S. health insurance program for military members and their families is TRICARE.
TRICARE is the Department of Defense health care program serving eligible active-duty service members, their families, retirees, survivors, and certain other beneficiaries. It combines military hospitals and clinics with a worldwide network of civilian doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, and other providers.
The program offers several options rather than one single plan. TRICARE Prime generally works like a managed-care plan with primary-care coordination, while TRICARE Select offers broader provider choice with cost-sharing. Other programs include TRICARE For Life for many Medicare-eligible military retirees and TRICARE Reserve Select for qualifying Selected Reserve members.
TRICARE grew out of the older CHAMPUS system. Congress authorized civilian medical care for military dependents through legislation in 1956 and 1966, and CHAMPUS was introduced in 1966. The TRICARE name emerged from managed-care reforms in the 1990s. CHAMPVA is different: it is a Department of Veterans Affairs program for certain veterans’ dependents, not the main Department of Defense program.