[trebb]

I’m still Tri-Care (for another year) and my wife has been Tri-Care For Life for a little over a year - both are great deals, especially since we can get most prescriptions for ‘free” via the military pharmacy. It recently cost me $25 for prostate surgery (cancer - cleared) at a local hospital (performed by a military surgeon. and $0 for a hip replacement. Wife can go anywhere that takes Medicare and Tri-Care picks up the 20% Medicare doesn’t cover.

[Not gonna take it anymore]

Tri-Care picks up the 20% Medicare doesn’t cover

What isn't specified is that Medicare tells the doctor and hospital how much they will be reimbursed and that is the 20% that supplemental insurance will cover. So if your surgery should have cost $5,000 and Medicare says it will only pay $1500 then the hospital will get $1200 (80% of $1500) and the insurance will pay the 20% left over of $300. If the supplemental insurance isn't free it is often cheaper to just pay that 20% yourself.

Since my medical costs are so low, I opted out of supplemental insurance and saved myself $1600 per year of premiums.