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TRICARE for life (TFL)

What is TRICARE for life (TFL)?

What is TRICARE for life (TFL)?

TRICARE for Life serves as supplemental coverage for Medicare, for those who have served in the military and are eligible for TRICARE, but are also enrolled in Medicare Part A and B.1

Their family members can also be eligible for TRICARE for Life benefits, but only if those family members also have Medicare Part A and Part B, since TRICARE for Life is only available to people who are also enrolled in Medicare. So family members who aren’t enrolled in Medicare will need other coverage (which can be a different TRICARE program).2

TRICARE for Life coverage is generally secondary to Medicare, paying claims after Medicare has already paid its share. However, if the person is overseas and needs medical care, TRICARE will pay first,3 as Medicare doesn’t provide coverage outside the US and US territories. The person has to continue to pay premiums for Medicare Part B in that situation in order to have TRICARE for Life, even though Medicare doesn’t provide benefits overseas.

Footnotes
  1. ”TRICARE for Life” TRICARE. Accessed June 29, 2025 ⤶
  2. ”Q&A: TRICARE For Life and Your Family” TRICARE Newsroom. Sep. 14, 2023 ⤶
  3. ”Using TRICARE For Life Overseas” TRICARE. Accessed June 29, 2025 ⤶

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