Tricare Prime and Select: What to Know Before Making a Choice

Open enrollment for 2026 Tricare coverage has a set window. Here's a look at how Prime and Select compare, who may switch, and what information is still pending.

Tricare describes Prime as a managed-care plan and Select as a self-managed option.

Here are the main differences between Tricare Prime and Tricare Select:

• Primary care manager (PCM). Prime requires one. Tricare says the PCM coordinates most of your care. Select does not require a PCM.
• Referrals. Prime usually requires referrals for specialty care. Select does not require referrals for primary care and most specialty care.
• Providers. Select allows beneficiaries to see any Tricare-authorized provider, though costs are lower with network providers.
• Availability. Prime is limited to Prime Service Areas. Select is available in the United States and overseas.
• Deductible. Prime has no deductible and typically relies on copayments. Select includes an annual deductible along with copayments or cost-shares.
• Tricare’s summary is that Prime is a better fit for people who want a PCM to manage care and prefer more predictable costs, while Select is better for those who want more flexibility and can accept higher costs and fewer restrictions.

Plan Costs

The 2027 rates were not yet available.

Active-duty family members pay no enrollment fee under either plan. For retirees, their families and other beneficiaries, 2026 annual enrollment fees for the Group A category are $381.96 for an individual and $765 for a family under Prime, compared with $186.96 for an individual and $375 for a family under Select. Group B fees are higher: $462.96 and $927 for Prime, and $594.96 and $1,191 for Select.

The Defense Health Agency told Military.com that Prime and Select rates are based on the annual cost-of-living adjustment released by the Social Security Administration, and that the next-year figures were still being finalized. DHA said the updated Tricare costs would be posted in early November.

The open enrollment period for the next coverage year runs Nov. 9-Dec. 8.

Because the costs page may not update until after open season ends, families should check DHA's late-October article before making a decision.

Who Can Switch Plans

Open season applies to people who have or are eligible for a Prime option, including the U.S. Family Health Plan and the Tricare Prime Demonstration, as well as Select. It does not apply to active-duty service members, Tricare for Life beneficiaries, or those enrolled in Tricare Reserve Select, Tricare Retired Reserve or Tricare Young Adult.

DHA clarified several plan-change rules:

• Tricare Prime Remote: Open season rules do not apply. DHA said it operates the same way as active-duty Prime.
• Tricare Overseas Program: Prime Overseas and Select Overseas are included in open season.
• U.S. Family Health Plan: USFHP is a Prime option. Switching between USFHP and Select must be done during open season. A person already in Prime can move to USFHP, or vice versa, at any time, and DHA said that change counts as a PCM change.

If You Take No Action

Tricare says beneficiaries who are already enrolled and do not make a change will remain in their current plan as long as they stay eligible. People not enrolled in a plan are eligible for care only at a military hospital or clinic, if space is available.

Outside open season, enrollment or plan changes are allowed only after a qualifying life event such as marriage, the birth of a child or retirement. A qualifying life event opens a 90-day window for eligible changes.

How to Enroll or Change Plans

Beneficiaries can make changes online through milConnect, by phone with their Tricare regional contractor or designated provider, or by mail or fax using an enrollment form.

Dental and vision coverage follow a separate schedule. Federal Benefits Open Season, which includes the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP), runs Nov. 9-Dec. 14, 2026. Vision coverage through FEDVIP requires a Tricare health plan.

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