2. Can the medical insurance specialist contact DEERS? Why or why not? 11.1 The TRICARE Program TRICARE is the Department of Defense's health insurance plan for sonnel and their families. TRICARE, which includes managed care o the program known as the Civilian Health and Medical Pro Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS). TRICARE is a regionally managed b program serving approximately 9.5 million beneficiaries ep laced eare The TRICARE program brings the resources of military hospitals to a network of civilian facilities and providers to offer increased access together with to healthcare , are part of the TRICARE system. TRICARE also contracts with civilian facilities cians to provide more extensive services to beneficiaries. services. All military treatment facilities, including hospitals and clinics arthcare an Members of the following uniformed services TRICARE: the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Pub Health Service (PHS), and National Oceanic and (NOAA). Reserve and National Guard personnel become eligible when on duty for more than thirty consecutive days or when they retire from reserve st age sixty. The uniformed services member is referred to as a sponsor because the member's status makes other family members eligible for TRICARE coverage. and their families are eligible for Public Atmospheric Administration atus at a TRICARE patient arrives for treatment, the medical information specialist photocopies or scans both sides of the individual's military ID card and checks the expira- tion date to confirm that coverage is still valid (see Figure 11.1). The various branches of military service, not TRICARE, make decisions about eligibility. Information about patient eligibility is stored in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). Sponsors may contact DEERS to verify eligibility; providers may not con DEERS directly because the information is protected by the Privacy Act. tact