Inflation figures which will lead to the highest cost of living adjustment (COLA) for military retirees in decades next year also will lead to significant increases in TRICARE enrollment fees, premium, and other rates.

TRICARE announced the 2023 rates Nov. 7, a week before this year’s open season. Find all the rates at this link; click this link for the same charts from 2022. Costs for next year’s TRICARE Reserve Select, TRICARE Retired Reserve, and TRICARE Young Adult plans were announced in late August.

[FROM MOAA’s TRICARE GUIDE: TRICARE and FEDVIP Open Season: Which Plan Is Best?]

Thanks in part to MOAA’s persistent advocacy, by law, many fees are indexed to the retiree COLA increase, which will be 8.7% in the new year. MOAA defeated an alternative approach proposed by Congress and DoD which would have indexed increases to national health expenditures, resulting in consistently larger price hikes. One example of a COLA-linked increase for next year: Annual TRICARE Select enrollment fees for most Group A retirees and their families will rise to $171.96 for individuals and $345 for families for 2023, up from $158 and $317, respectively.

MOAA has worked to roll back these enrollment fees, which took effect in 2021 after being enacted in the FY 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

[TAKE ACTION: Ask Your Senators to Repeal the TRICARE Select Enrollment Fee]

TRICARE Select Group B retirees (entered service on or after Jan. 1, 2018) and their families will pay annual enrollment fees of $547.92 for individual plans and $1,095.96 for family plans in 2023, up from $504 and $1,008 this year. Annual deductibles for TRICARE Select Group A remain the same year over year ($150 individual/$300 family), while Group B rates rose:

• Individual in network: $182 (up from $168)
• Individual out of network: $365 (up from $336)
• Family in network: $365 (up from $336)
• Family out of network: $730 (up from $672)

The annual catastrophic cap for TRICARE Select Group A retirees will rise from $3,706 in 2022 to $4,028 next year, and Group B retirees will see an increase from $3,921 to $4,262. Annual enrollment fees apply to the cap.

The catastrophic cap for TRICARE Prime Group A retirees remains at $3,000, while Group B retirees will have a $4,262 cap in 2023, up from $3,921.

Click this link for a full listing of costs for the new calendar year.

[TAKE ACTION: Help MOAA Fight Cuts to the TRICARE Pharmacy Network]

Out-of-Pocket Rates

See below for some of the changes to out-of-pocket costs for retirees and family members for 2023. A full list of changes, including changes to rates for active duty family members, can be found at this link.

TRICARE Select Group A (Per statute, TRICARE Select Group A fixed-dollar copays are calculated each year to be cost neutral with former TRICARE Standard/Extra percent cost shares.)

• Primary care: $34 in network, up from $32 (remains 25% out of network)
• Specialty care: $49 in network, down from $50 (remains 25% out of network)
• ER visit: $138 in network, up from $133 (remains 25% out of network)
• Urgent care visit: $34 in network, up from $32 (remains 25% out of network)
• Ambulance (ground): $100 in network, up from $99 (remains 25% out of network)

TRICARE Select Group B

• Primary care: $30 in network, up from $28 (remains 25% out of network)
• Specialty care: $48 in network, up from $44 (remains 25% out of network)
• ER visit: $97 in network, up from $89 (remains 25% out of network)
• Urgent care visit: $48 in network, up from $44 (remains 25% out of network)
• Ambulance (outpatient, ground): $73 in network, up from $67 (remains 25% out of network)

TRICARE Prime Groups A and B

• Primary care: $24, up from $22
• Specialty care: $36, up from $33
• ER visit: $73, up from $67
• Urgent care visit: $36, up from $33
• Ambulance (outpatient, ground): $48, up from $44

More TRICARE Resources

• Visit MOAA’s TRICARE Guide, newly updated for 2022-23, to learn more about choosing a plan, how to navigate the transition to Medicare/TRICARE For Life, and much more.
• Updated monthly, MOAA’s TRICARE Toolkit offers often-overlooked details on your benefit, cost-saving suggestions, and much more.
• MOAA’s Health Care Resources page offers more TRICARE guidance, including links to publications, videos, Q-and-As, and other assistance, along with the latest health care news.