TRICARE Open Season for 2027 coverage runs from Nov. 9 to Dec. 8, 2026. It is the one stretch of the year when most military families and retirees can switch health plans without a life event, and any change you make takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.
If you are happy with your plan, you don’t have to do anything. If you want to move between TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Select, add family members, or enroll for the first time, this is your window. The Federal Benefits Open Season for dental and vision coverage runs alongside it, from Nov. 9 to Dec. 14, according to TRICARE.
Here is who can make changes, what it costs, how to do it and the mistakes that trip people up.
The key dates for 2026
| Enrollment period | Dates | What it covers | Coverage starts |
|---|---|---|---|
| TRICARE Open Season | Nov. 9 – Dec. 8, 2026 | TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Select, US Family Health Plan | Jan. 1, 2027 |
| Federal Benefits Open Season | Nov. 9 – Dec. 14, 2026 | FEDVIP dental and vision | Jan. 1, 2027 |
| Medicare Open Enrollment | Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026 | Medicare Advantage and Part D plans | Jan. 1, 2027 |
The TRICARE and federal benefits dates come from the Defense Health Agency’s open season page and the Office of Personnel Management’s plan year 2027 highlights. The Medicare dates are from the Military Officers Association of America.
Watch the different end dates. TRICARE health plan changes close on Dec. 8. FEDVIP dental and vision enrollment stays open until Dec. 14. Some earlier reports gave a Dec. 7 deadline for FEDVIP; both OPM and TRICARE now list Dec. 14.
Who can change plans during open season
Open season is for people in, or eligible for, a TRICARE Prime option or TRICARE Select. TRICARE Prime options include the US Family Health Plan and the TRICARE Prime demonstration.
If that’s you, you can:
- Stay in your current plan by doing nothing
- Enroll in Prime or Select if you’re eligible but not enrolled
- Switch from Prime to Select, or from Select to Prime
- Change from individual to family enrollment, or the other way around
That covers most active-duty families, most retirees under 65 and their families, and survivors and other beneficiaries who use Prime or Select.
Who open season doesn’t apply to
Several groups can’t use TRICARE Open Season, according to TRICARE:
- Active-duty service members. You must be enrolled in TRICARE Prime and stay there.
- TRICARE For Life beneficiaries. Your coverage works with Medicare, so there’s no Prime or Select choice to make.
- TRICARE Reserve Select, TRICARE Retired Reserve and TRICARE Young Adult. These premium-based plans aren’t part of open season. You can buy or end them at any time of year.
- The Continued Health Care Benefit Program, according to MOAA.
That last point catches people out. If you’re a Guard or Reserve member on TRICARE Reserve Select, or a young adult dependent on TRICARE Young Adult, you don’t have to wait for open season to buy coverage, and open season won’t change your plan.
What happens if you do nothing
If you’re already enrolled in Prime or Select and still eligible, your coverage continues into 2027 automatically. You don’t need to re-enroll.
If you’re eligible but not enrolled in a plan, doing nothing means you can only get care at a military hospital or clinic, and only if space is available, according to TRICARE. That is a big risk for retirees and families who live far from a base or who need specialty care. Open season is the time to fix it.
Prime or Select: the basic difference
Most open season decisions come down to this choice.
TRICARE Prime works like a managed care plan. You’re assigned a primary care manager, at a military clinic or in the civilian network, who handles most of your care and refers you to specialists. Active-duty families pay nothing for most Prime care. Retirees pay an enrollment fee and copays, but Prime has no deductible.
TRICARE Select lets you see any TRICARE-authorized provider without a referral for most care. You pay less if you use network providers. It has an annual deductible, and costs are usually higher per visit than Prime, but you get more freedom to choose doctors.
Prime makes sense if you want low, predictable costs and live near a military hospital or a strong civilian network. Select often works better if you want to keep a particular doctor, travel a lot, or live where Prime isn’t available.
What TRICARE costs: the 2026 baseline
The Defense Health Agency had not published 2027 enrollment fees, deductibles or catastrophic caps as of Oct. 19. TRICARE’s cost comparison tool still listed calendar 2026 costs. In past years, the new figures have come out in early November, just before open season. The tables below are the 2026 rates, which you can use as a guide until then.
Costs depend on whether you’re in Group A or Group B. Group A generally means the sponsor’s service began before Jan. 1, 2018. Group B means it began on or after that date.
Annual enrollment fees for retirees and others (2026)
| Plan | Individual | Family |
|---|---|---|
| TRICARE Prime, Group A | $381.96 | $765 |
| TRICARE Prime, Group B | $462.96 | $927 |
| TRICARE Select, Group A | $186.96 | $375 |
| TRICARE Select, Group B | $594.96 | $1,191 |
Active-duty family members pay no enrollment fee for Prime or Select. Figures are from TRICARE’s 2026 cost announcement.
TRICARE Select deductibles (2026)
| Beneficiary | Individual | Family |
|---|---|---|
| Active-duty family, Group A, E-4 and below | $50 | $100 |
| Active-duty family, Group A, E-5 and above | $150 | $300 |
| Active-duty family, Group B, E-4 and below | $66 | $132 |
| Active-duty family, Group B, E-5 and above | $198 | $397 |
| Retiree, Group A | $150 | $300 |
| Retiree, Group B (network) | $198 | $397 |
| Retiree, Group B (out of network) | $397 | $794 |
TRICARE Prime has no deductible.
Catastrophic caps (2026)
The catastrophic cap is the most your family pays out of pocket for covered care in a calendar year, including enrollment fees, deductibles and copays.
- Active-duty families: $1,000 (Group A) or $1,324 (Group B)
- Retirees in Prime, Group A: $3,000
- Retirees in Select, Group A: $4,381, or $3,000 for survivors of active-duty deaths and medically retired members and their families
- Retirees in Prime or Select, Group B: $4,635
Typical copays for retirees in the network (2026)
| Service | Prime (Group A and B) | Select, Group A | Select, Group B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary care visit | $26 | $38 | $33 |
| Specialist visit | $39 | $52 | $52 |
| Emergency room | $79 | $138 | $105 |
| Urgent care | $39 | $38 | $52 |
Retirees in Prime pay $198 per inpatient hospital admission. Active-duty family members in Select pay $28 (Group A) or $19 (Group B) for a network primary care visit, $39 or $33 for a specialist, and $103 or $52 for the emergency room.
Premium plans (2026 monthly premiums)
- TRICARE Reserve Select: $57.88 for the member only, $286.66 for member and family
- TRICARE Retired Reserve: $645.90 for the member only, $1,548.30 for member and family
- TRICARE Young Adult Prime: $794
- TRICARE Young Adult Select: $363
Again, these plans are not part of open season. The 2027 rates had not been officially published as of Oct. 19.
Pharmacy costs: no change in 2027
Prescription copays are one thing you can plan around now. TRICARE’s pharmacy cost page lists the same rates for calendar years 2026 and 2027.
| Where you fill it | Generic | Brand name | Non-formulary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Military pharmacy | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Home delivery (up to 90 days) | $14 | $44 | $85 |
| Retail network pharmacy (up to 30 days) | $16 | $48 | $85 |
Active-duty service members pay nothing. Medically retired members and certain survivors keep lower rates set by the 2018 defense bill: $0, $20 and $49 for home delivery, and $10, $24 and $50 at retail pharmacies.
The current rates took effect Jan. 1, 2026, when home delivery copays rose from $13, $38 and $76, according to the Defense Health Agency. Home delivery is still the cheaper way to fill long-term prescriptions outside a military pharmacy: a 90-day generic by mail costs $14, while three 30-day generic fills at a retail pharmacy cost $48.
Which choice fits your situation
There’s no single right plan. These are the situations that come up most often.
You’re retiring this year
Retirement from active duty is a qualifying life event, so you don’t have to wait for open season. But your coverage doesn’t switch over on its own. You’ll start paying retiree enrollment fees and copays, and you need to enroll in Prime or Select within the window after your retirement date. Open season is a good moment to compare the two plans with retiree prices in mind, since Prime costs about twice as much in enrollment fees as Select for Group A families but has no deductible.
Your child is about to age out
Children lose regular TRICARE eligibility at 21, or at 23 if they’re full-time college students. TRICARE Young Adult can cover them until 26. Because it’s a premium plan, they can sign up at any time, not just during open season. Plan ahead so there’s no gap between the last day of regular coverage and the start of TRICARE Young Adult.
You or your spouse turns 65 next year
At 65, most beneficiaries move to TRICARE For Life, which works alongside Medicare. To keep TRICARE coverage, you generally need to be enrolled in Medicare Part B. Medicare’s own open enrollment runs Oct. 15 to Dec. 7. Turning 65 is a TRICARE qualifying life event, but the Medicare enrollment rules have their own deadlines, so check both well before your birthday.
You’re moving
A move to a new region or ZIP code is a qualifying life event, and Prime availability depends on where you live. If you’re moving away from a military hospital, Select may give you more choice of doctors. If you’re moving across the East-West line, your regional contractor changes from Humana Military to TriWest, or the other way around.
You want to keep a specific doctor
If your doctor isn’t in the TRICARE network, Select lets you see any TRICARE-authorized provider, though you’ll pay more out of network. Under Prime, most care has to go through your primary care manager and referrals.
How to enroll or switch plans
You have three ways to make an open season change, according to TRICARE:
- Online: Use Beneficiary Web Enrollment in milConnect. It’s usually the fastest option.
- By phone: Call your regional contractor (see the table below).
- By mail or fax: Send an enrollment form to your regional contractor.
Before you start, make sure your information in DEERS, the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, is correct. If a family member is missing or listed wrong in DEERS, your enrollment may not go through. TRICARE’s Plan Comparison Tool can show up to six plans side by side, MOAA reported.
Who to call
| Program | Contractor | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| East Region | Humana Military | 800-444-5445 |
| West Region | TriWest Healthcare Alliance | 888-874-9378 |
| Overseas | International SOS Government Services | Country-specific numbers, 24/7 |
| TRICARE For Life | WPS Government Services | 866-773-0404 |
| Pharmacy | Express Scripts | 877-363-1303 |
| TRICARE Dental Program | United Concordia | 844-653-4061 (U.S.), 844-653-4060 (overseas) |
| DEERS and milConnect | Defense Manpower Data Center | 800-538-9552 |
Numbers are from TRICARE’s contact directory. Humana Military’s line is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern and Central time, Monday through Friday. The East and West contractors have been in place since Jan. 1, 2025, when TriWest took over the West Region.
US Family Health Plan members should call their own designated provider. The six providers are Brighton Marine (800-818-8589), CHRISTUS Health (800-678-7347), Johns Hopkins (800-808-7347), Martin’s Point Health Care (888-241-4556), Pacific Medical Centers (800-585-5883) and St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers (800-241-4848), according to TRICARE.
The login problem to sort out first
Many beneficiaries will try to make open season changes online this year after a rocky switch in how they sign in.
TRICARE sites are moving from DS Logon to a new login called myAuth. The East and West contractor sites, milConnect and the Express Scripts TRICARE portal already use it, according to MOAA. The MHS GENESIS patient portal’s move to myAuth was delayed and is expected before the end of the year.
In some cases, dependent children weren’t showing up on either parent’s account, Military Times reported. If you haven’t set up myAuth yet, do it before open season opens on Nov. 9, not on the last day. The Defense Manpower Data Center’s website support line is 800-368-3665, according to TRICARE.
TRICARE will never ask you for your Social Security number, password or other login details by phone, text or email. Treat any message that does as a scam.
Dental and vision: FEDVIP open season
Dental and vision coverage isn’t part of TRICARE Open Season. For many families, it’s handled through the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program, or FEDVIP, which has its own open season from Nov. 9 to Dec. 14.
What’s changing for 2027
Average FEDVIP premiums will rise 1.0% for dental and 1.6% for vision in 2027, according to OPM. Eleven dental carriers and five vision carriers will offer 31 plan options in all.
The enrollment site, BENEFEDS, now requires a Login.gov account to sign in, though its plan comparison tools can be used without one, MOAA reported. A new BENEFEDS tool estimates out-of-pocket costs for 75 common dental services across all 11 dental carriers; it requires a FEDVIP account.
Who can buy FEDVIP dental
FEDVIP dental is open to retired service members and their families, retired Guard and Reserve members and their families, Medal of Honor recipients and their families, and certain survivors, according to TRICARE’s dental plans page.
Who can buy FEDVIP vision
To buy FEDVIP vision, you must be enrolled in a TRICARE health plan. That includes active-duty family members, Guard and Reserve members and families enrolled in TRICARE Reserve Select, retirees and their families, and TRICARE For Life beneficiaries, according to TRICARE. Active-duty service members, adult children on TRICARE Young Adult and people covered by the Transitional Assistance Management Program are not eligible.
Active-duty families: two different dental programs
Active-duty family members get dental coverage from the TRICARE Dental Program, run by United Concordia, not from FEDVIP. The TRICARE Dental Program has no open season; you can enroll at any time. For vision, active-duty families can use FEDVIP.
The TRICARE Dental Program also covers Guard and Reserve members who are not on active duty or in transitional coverage, and their families, along with certain survivors, according to TRICARE.
Missed open season? Qualifying life events
If you miss the window, you can still change plans within 90 days of a qualifying life event, according to TRICARE’s qualifying life events fact sheet. When one family member has a qualifying event, every eligible family member can make changes.
Qualifying life events include:
- A change in the sponsor’s status, such as retiring, separating, activating or deactivating
- Marriage, divorce or annulment
- A birth, adoption or court-ordered placement of a child
- The death of a sponsor, spouse or child
- A child aging out of coverage at 21, or 23 for full-time students
- A move to a new country, city, region or ZIP code, or a child leaving for college
- A government-directed change of primary care manager or plan
- Gaining or losing overseas command sponsorship
- Turning 60 in the Retired Reserve, or turning 65 and becoming eligible for Medicare
- Gaining or losing other health insurance, including employer coverage, Medicare or Medicaid
Coverage changes made after a qualifying life event take effect on the date of the event. Newborns and adopted or placed children must be registered in DEERS within 90 days in the U.S., or 120 days overseas.
Some events allow late enrollment for up to 12 months, including retiring from active duty, turning 60 in the Retired Reserve and a former spouse becoming their own sponsor. Fees are owed back to the date of the event.
FEDVIP uses its own list of qualifying life events, which is different from TRICARE’s.
Five mistakes to avoid
- Assuming your new retiree status carries over. When you retire, your active-duty Prime enrollment doesn’t automatically become retiree coverage. Retirement is a qualifying life event, and you need to enroll within the window to avoid a gap.
- Mixing up the deadlines. TRICARE changes close Dec. 8. FEDVIP closes Dec. 14.
- Waiting on the login. Set up myAuth now so a login problem doesn’t keep you from enrolling.
- Forgetting DEERS. A missing child or a wrong address in DEERS can stop an enrollment. Check it at milConnect first.
- Comparing only the enrollment fee. A cheaper fee can mean higher deductibles and copays. Add up what your family actually uses, including prescriptions and specialist visits, and compare that against each plan’s catastrophic cap.
Frequently asked questions
When is TRICARE Open Season 2026?
TRICARE Open Season runs from Nov. 9 to Dec. 8, 2026. Changes take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
Do I need to re-enroll in TRICARE during open season?
No. If you’re already enrolled in TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select and remain eligible, your coverage continues automatically.
Can I change TRICARE Reserve Select or TRICARE Young Adult during open season?
No. TRICARE Reserve Select, TRICARE Retired Reserve and TRICARE Young Adult are premium-based plans that can be bought or ended at any time of year, outside of open season.
When is FEDVIP open season for 2027 coverage?
The Federal Benefits Open Season for FEDVIP dental and vision runs from Nov. 9 to Dec. 14, 2026, with coverage starting Jan. 1, 2027.
Are TRICARE pharmacy copays changing in 2027?
No. TRICARE lists the same pharmacy copays for 2026 and 2027: $14, $44 and $85 for home delivery, and $16, $48 and $85 at retail network pharmacies.
How do I enroll in TRICARE during open season?
You can enroll or switch plans online through Beneficiary Web Enrollment in milConnect, by calling your regional contractor, or by mailing or faxing an enrollment form.
Official links
- TRICARE Open Season
- milConnect Beneficiary Web Enrollment
- TRICARE cost comparison tool
- BENEFEDS (FEDVIP enrollment)
- TRICARE contact directory
- TRICARE qualifying life events fact sheet
Sources
- TRICARE: Open Season
- OPM: 2026 Federal Benefits Open Season highlights for plan year 2027
- TRICARE Newsroom: Learn your 2026 TRICARE health plan costs
- TRICARE: Pharmacy costs
- MOAA: TRICARE, Medicare, FEDVIP open season dates set
- Military Times: Patients struggle to access MHS following changes to login process
Photo: Navy Medicine (public domain).
