TRICARE Open Season
TRICARE Open Season for 2026 health coverage begins November 10, 2025, and concludes on December 9, 2025. This period is the only time during the year when most TRICARE-eligible beneficiaries can enroll in a new health plan or change their existing coverage without a qualifying life event, such as a birth, death, marriage, or other significant life change.
Beneficiaries who are currently satisfied with their TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select plan do not need to take any action. Their current health coverage will continue automatically into 2026 as long as they remain eligible.
Any changes made to health plans during this window will take effect on January 1, 2026.
TRICARE Open Season
This open season specifically applies to the TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Select health plans. It’s the window of time to switch between these two options, for example, moving from a Prime (HMO-style) plan to a Select (PPO-style) plan, or vice versa.
TRICARE enrollees can also change their enrollment type, such as moving from individual to family coverage during this time.
This enrollment period runs concurrently with the Federal Benefits Open Season, also known as FEDVIP. The FEDVIP open season is for eligible beneficiaries to enroll in, change, or cancel voluntary dental and vision plans.
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Who Can Participate in TRICARE Open Season
TRICARE Open Season is available to beneficiaries who are eligible for or currently enrolled in a TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select plan. This group primarily includes active-duty family members, military retirees, and their family members.
Several groups are not eligible to participate in the TRICARE Open Season, as their coverage rules are different.
- Active Duty Service Members: Active duty personnel must enroll in TRICARE Prime and cannot change plans.
- TRICARE For Life (TFL) Beneficiaries: TFL coverage is automatic for beneficiaries who are enrolled in both Medicare Part A and Part B. TFL does not have enrollment fees, and beneficiaries do not participate in the annual open enrollment period.
- Premium-Based Plans: Individuals enrolled in or eligible for premium-based plans can make changes at any time of the year, not just during the annual open enrollment period. These plans include TRICARE Reserve Select, TRICARE Retired Reserve, TRICARE Young Adult, and the Continued Health Care Benefit Program (CHCBP).
How to Make Enrollment Changes
The simplest method is online through the Beneficiary Web Enrollment (BWE) portal on the milConnect website. Beneficiaries can log in to review their current coverage and make changes.
You can also make changes by phone by contacting your regional TRICARE contractor. The contractor for the TRICARE East Region is Humana Military. The contractor for the TRICARE West Region is TriWest Healthcare Alliance.
It’s also possible to submit a paper enrollment form via mail to a regional contractor. Any mailed forms must be postmarked by December 9, 2025, to be processed.
Before making any changes, beneficiaries should confirm that their and their family members’ information is current in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). An incorrect address or dependent status in DEERS can delay or prevent enrollment changes.
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TRICARE Enrollment Lock-In
After TRICARE Open Season ends on December 9, 2025, beneficiaries are locked into their health plan choice for the entire 2026 calendar year.
If an eligible beneficiary is enrolled in TRICARE Prime, they will remain in Prime for the entire year 2026. If they are in TRICARE Select, they will remain in Select.
If you are eligible for TRICARE but not enrolled in a plan (for example, a retiree family member who previously waived coverage), you will not have TRICARE coverage for 2026 if you do not enroll during open season. Care at a military hospital or clinic is possible in such cases only if space and resources are available.
Exceptions to the Lock-In: Qualifying Life Events
The only way to change a TRICARE health plan outside of the open season window is by experiencing a Qualifying Life Event (QLE), which is, as mentioned above, a specific change in a beneficiary’s life or family situation that triggers a 90-day window to make enrollment changes.
During this 90-day period, a beneficiary can switch between Prime and Select or enroll in a plan if they were not previously enrolled. Common Qualifying Life Events include:
- Change in Sponsor Status. Retiring or separating from active duty, or a Guard/Reserve member activating.
- Change in Family Composition. Getting married, getting divorced, giving birth, adopting a child, or the death of a sponsor or family member.
- Moving. A permanent change of station (PCS) or a move to a new ZIP code may change TRICARE plan availability.
- Losing Other Health Insurance. Losing coverage from an employer-sponsored plan or other private insurance.
It is important to note that pregnancy itself is not a QLE. The birth of the child allows the family 90 days to enroll the newborn and make any desired changes to their health plan. If a beneficiary experiences a QLE, they must update their information in DEERS first, then make the enrollment change within the 90-day window.
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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.
