Tricare Costs Set to Rise in 2027

Most Tricare health plan costs for military and retiree households will increase by 3% to 4% in 2027, while prescription drug prices will remain unchanged.

Most Tricare health plan costs for military and retiree households will rise by 3% to 4% in 2027, though some premium-based plans will see larger jumps of 9% to 12% each month.

The Military Health System has released the updated rates. Many Tricare Prime and Tricare Select beneficiaries will face higher annual enrollment fees and deductibles, along with increased copayments for medical care. Among the sharpest hikes will be the monthly premiums for Tricare Retired Reserve and, as in recent years, Tricare Young Adult coverage.

Open enrollment for Tricare, when members can adjust their coverage for the next plan year, runs from Nov. 9 to Dec. 8.

Current Tricare Dental Program prices will remain in effect through February 2026. Tricare also said pharmacy costs will stay flat from 2026 to 2027.

Tricare Groups

What members pay depends on their Tricare group, which is based on when the service member first entered the military. Group A includes those who joined before Jan. 1, 2018, while Group B covers those who entered after that date.

Enrollment Fees

Active-duty families do not pay annual enrollment fees for Tricare Prime or Tricare Select. Retirees do, and those costs are set to rise.

For Group A retirees, the annual Tricare Select fee will rise from $375 to $389 for families and from $186.96 to $193.92 for individuals. Group A retirees enrolled in Tricare Prime will see family fees climb from $765 to $793, while individual fees will go from $381.96 to $396 a year.

Group B retirees will also see higher fees. The annual Prime family fee will increase from $927 to $960, while the individual rate will rise from $462.96 to $480. Tricare Select enrollment fees will move up from $1,191 to $1,233.96 for families and from $594.96 to $616.92 for individuals.

Deductibles

Annual deductibles, which Tricare Select users must pay before the plan begins covering costs, will also rise. Tricare Prime members do not pay deductibles.

There will be no deductible changes for Group A active-duty family members and retirees.

For Group B, a military member ranked E-4 or below will see the family deductible increase from $132 to $137, while families with sponsors at E-5 and above will see the deductible rise from $397 to $411.

Individual Group B members will also pay more, with deductibles increasing from $66 to $68 for E-4 and below, and from $198 to $205 for E-5 and above.

Copayments

Many copayments will also increase next year. For active-duty Tricare Select families in Group A, a primary care visit will rise from $28 to $30, while the Group B family copay will go from $19 to $20.

Retirees using Tricare Select will see primary care visits increase from $38 to $40 in Group A and from $33 to $34 in Group B. Tricare Prime users will pay $27 for a primary care visit, up from $26.

Premiums

The steepest increases in 2027 will be in Tricare's premium-based plans.

For reservists, Tricare Reserve Select premiums will rise from $57.88 to $60.54 per month for an individual and from $286.66 to $307.48 for a family, increases of 4.6% and 7.3%.

Tricare Retired Reserve premiums will climb from $645.90 to $707.59 for an individual and from $1,548.30 to $1,697.7 for a family, a 9.6% increase.

For Tricare Young Adult members ages 21 to 26, monthly Prime premiums will go from $794 to $893, a 12.5% increase after a 9.2% increase in the prior year. Select premiums will increase from $363 to $394, or 8.5%.

Catastrophic Cap

The catastrophic cap is the most Tricare beneficiaries must pay out of pocket for covered health care in a year. It limits how much they owe in the event of a serious illness or injury. After beneficiaries reach the cap through copayments or pharmacy charges, Tricare covers the remaining costs.

For Group A retirees using Tricare Select, the cap will rise from $4,381 to $4,538. For Group B retirees, it will increase from $4,635 to $4,802.

For active-duty family members in Group A with either Tricare Select or Tricare Prime, the cap will remain at $1,000 a year. For Group B, it will increase from $1,324 to $1,372.

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