Photo Courtesy Fairchild Air Force BaseFAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. – Officials from Fairchild Air Force Base will host a series of town hall-style meetings on base to address upcoming changes to medical care coverage for active-duty service members as well as more than 16,000 retirees in the area.
The TRICARE contractor for current and retired military members will transition from the current contractor, TriWest Healthcare Alliance, to a healthcare organization called UnitedHealthcare Military & Veterans beginning in April. Officials are working with both the current and incoming TRICARE contractors in addition to the local medical community to ensure quality care will continue without delay or disruption under the new contractor, said 1st Lt. Nicholas Freese of the 92nd Medical Group.
"We're working diligently to make the transition over the next few months as seamless as possible," the lieutenant said. "The town hall meetings are an avenue for people to share their concerns so we encourage anyone who can make it, to do so. We want to get information out to as many people as possible about the changes taking place to the TRICARE contract in the Western Region and more specifically, how TRICARE beneficiaries at Fairchild and in the Spokane area will be affected." Freese will talk about the details of the new contract as well as answer questions.
"There remains a great deal of work to accomplish, but for the average TRICARE beneficiary the transition should be seamless and their healthcare benefits under TRICARE will be largely unaffected," Freese said. "The bottom line is that if anyone has questions or healthcare-related issues that arise due to the contract transition, contact or come see us at the 92nd Medical Group clinic and we'll work with you on any issues until they are resolved."
The first of these meetings is Thursday at 6 p.m. in the Balfour Beatty Community Center. Future meetings on March 7 and April 4 will reveal more information as details develop.
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