Did you know you can have Tricare Prime and go off base to see a doctor? The plan is called US Family Health Plan and it works in addition to Tricare Prime.
The six US Family Health Plans and their service areas
Brighton Marine Health Center—serving Massachusetts, including Cape Cod, as well as Rhode Island and parts of Northern Connecticut;
Christus Health—serving Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana;
Johns Hopkins Medicine—Serving Maryland, Washington, DC, Delaware, and parts of Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania;
Martin’s Point Health Care—Serving Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and parts of New York state;
Pacific Medical Center—Serving the Puget Sound area of Washington state;
St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers—Serving parts of New York (including New York City), all of New Jersey, Southeast Pennsylvania, and Western Connecticut.
How does US Family Health Plan work?
If you have Tricare Prime, you can enroll in US Family Health Plan. Then your care is provided through large local civilian health care networks of primary care physicians, hospitals and affiliated specialists. Patients choose a primary care physician who provides and coordinates care and referrals to specialists and hospitals. You won't go to a military treatment facility anymore, instead you receive care from an outside physician without having to pay for Tricare Standard.
Who qualifies for US Family Health Plan
Eligible participants are:
Active duty family members
Retired service members and their families*
Family members of Activated National Guard/Reserve members
Non-activated National Guard/Reserve members and their families who qualify for care under the Transitional Assistance Management Program
Retired National Guard/Reserve members (age 60 and receiving retired pay) and their families*
Survivors
Medal of Honor recipients and their families
Qualified former spouses
DC Area and US Family Health Plan
Lucky you, the US Family Health Plan serves the DC area. Johns Hopkins is the facility aligned to the DC area.
JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE
Members Call: 1-800-808-7347
Prospects Call: 1-800-801-9322
Serving Maryland, Washington D.C., parts of Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Delaware.
Since many of the military treatment facilities in the DC area, such as Bethesda, are overloaded with government officials, active duty dependents are sometimes put at the end of the list. This can cause long waits for an appointment and poor quality of care. By enrolling in the US Family Health Plan in the DC area, you can get top notch care at Johns Hopkins and affiliate locations. Basically, you are able to see top notch civilian doctors without paying Tricare Standard prices.
Johns Hopkins is one of the nations best hospital. They are nationally ranked for adult and pediatric care. Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD is ranked nationally in 15 adult and 10 pediatric specialties. It was also high-performing in 1 adult specialty, as shown below. See full rankings here.
PROS FOR ENROLLING IN US FAMILY HEALTH PLAN AND GOING TO JOHNS HOPKINS FACILITY
Top notch civilian physicians (if you aren't familiar with Johns Hopkins name, it's one of the most renowned hospital systems in the nation)
Same day appointments including Saturday appointment (this can vary)
Quality time with physicians in exam room
Online communications with staff and physician
Easy referral system and ability to get in with specialists
24 hour nursing line
CONS FOR ENROLLING IN US FAMILY HEALTH PLAN AND GOING TO JOHNS HOPKINS FACILITY
Johns Hopkins is located in Baltimore so it's a drive to get to appointments (there are many hospitals in the DC/MD/NorVA that are affliated or are part of the USFHP network---when in doubt always check in with them and ask!)
Johns Hopkins hospital location in Baltimore charges for parking, but there is a lot of available parking spots and it's pretty cheap.
Prescription costs may vary
Must contact physicians within 24 hours when visiting Urgent Care and/or Emergency Room visit
Overall, if you live in an area served by US Family Health Plan, you should look into enrolling. Families with special needs children or complicated medical histories should consider utilizing this great benefit, but it can be a great option for families with no medical history, as well.
Additional Resources:
- Read neighborhood reviews around the DC area
- Download our PCS Guide to DC, MD, and NOVA
