TRICARE Ends Pharmacy Costs for TRICARE Remote Enrollees
Starting in March, TRICARE no longer charges prescription fees for TRICARE Prime Remote enrollees. The policy is in effect as of February 28, 2026, affecting approximately 60 thousand TRICARE Prime Remote enrollees in the USA located more than 50 miles away from an in-network clinic.
Pharmacy Costs Ended for TRICARE Remote Enrollees
This change is part of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, and according to one source addresses “longstanding concerns raised by military families and service advocates about the inequity of requiring remote duty families to pay for prescriptions while families near installations receive them free…”
The old policy for prescriptions under Tricare Prime Remote required enrollees to pay a copayment for prescriptions filled at retail pharmacies or through home delivery.
How the Prescription Fee Waiver is Funded
This policy change to TRICARE Remote is funded within existing DoD budgetary constraints, and the savings (per family) are approximately $80-$100 per year. The exact amount each enrollee saves will depend greatly on the types of medication required.
What’s Covered
All covered prescriptions are included in this TRICARE Prime Remote copayment waiver, including generic and brand-name drugs and “non-formulary” drugs, which require a medical necessity approval from Express Scripts to be covered.
TRICARE.mil states, “If you don’t get this medical necessity approval, you’ll need to fill the prescription at a retail pharmacy. You’ll be responsible for the full cost of the drug.”
What to Know About These Changes to TRICARE Prime Remote
TRICARE enrollees in Prime Remote do not have to opt in or take any other action to enjoy the savings announced above. According to the TRICARE official site, you do not need to file claims for reimbursement under Remote. According to TRICARE,
“Starting Feb. 28, when you fill a covered drug at a retail network pharmacy or through home delivery, your copayment will automatically be $0.”
Keep in mind that this applies only to stateside TRICARE Prime Remote enrollees. TRICARE reminds, “This copayment waiver doesn’t apply if you live overseas.” Active-duty family members in TRICARE Prime Remote Overseas are still required to pay a pharmacy copayment.
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About the author
Editor-in-Chief Joe Wallace is a 13-year veteran of the United States Air Force and a former reporter/editor for Air Force Television News and the Pentagon Channel. His freelance work includes contract work for Motorola, VALoans.com, and Credit Karma. He is co-founder of Dim Art House in Springfield, Illinois, and spends his non-writing time as an abstract painter, independent publisher, and occasional filmmaker.
