TRICARE and TriWest Healthcare Alliance
TRICARE is the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
healthcare entitlement for active duty, Guard and Reserve and retired members of the military, and their eligible
family members and survivors. TRICARE's objectives are to optimize the delivery of healthcare services at military treatment
facilities and supplement that with access to civilian healthcare networks where necessary. TRICARE receives its funding as
part of the annual federal defense budget, which is approved by Congress and signed by the President of the United States.
TriWest Healthcare Alliance is a privately held,
Phoenix-based corporation that contracts with the DoD to administer TRICARE in
California
and 20 other states within the TRICARE West Region.
TriWest is monitored by the TRICARE Management Authority, a department within the DoD. For questions about enrollment, eligibility,
benefits, authorizations, and claims, call 1-888-TRIWEST (874-9378) from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m Monday through Friday.
The terms TriWest and TRICARE are often used interchangeably, but each is distinctly different. It's easy to see why people
may be confused - the names of both start with the same three letters and both have similar logos.
TriWest partners with the DoD to do "Whatever It Takes" to support the healthcare needs of 2.7 million members
of America's military family. TriWest provides access to cost-effective, high-quality health care in the 21-state TRICARE West Region.
If you haven't already, please be sure to:
1) Verify that your status and contact information is current in DEERS.
2) Register on TriWest.com to:
- Manage your personal or family health care online, anytime.
- Receive instant authorization/referral notifications by QuickAlert email or phone (standard mail notification may take 7-10 days).
- Grant account access to other registered family members.
- Check claim status online.
- Check personal or family member eligibility.
- View out-of-pocket expenses.
- Go Green with paperless explanation of benefits statements, referral and authorization letters and fee statements.
- View enrollment fee payment history.
- Update personal information.
3) Visit www.triwest.com for more information, and look for TRICARE updates and announcements from TriWest on Facebook and Twitter.