Safeguard Your Valuable Possessions During a PCS
Self-Service Power of Attorney Kiosk Now Available
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Quit Smoking During Tobacco Awareness Month
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N A S SIG O N E L L A
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NOVEMBER 9, 2018
Vol. 35 No. 42
Important Changes Coming to Health, Vision, and Dental Insurance for Active Duty Families By Janine Scianna NAS Sigonella Public Affairs
Anyone who has PCS’d to Sigonella knows how complicated overseas moves are—the planning, paperwork, and packing seem endless. But one item that normally isn’t on the “to do” lists of incoming personnel is researching healthcare insurance. In fact, signing up for Tricare is as easy as filling out a form given at INDOC training and turning it into the Tricare office at U.S. Naval Hospital Sigonella. This year, however, important changes are coming to health, vision, and dental insurance coverage. Even if you don’t anticipate making any changes while you are at Sigonella, you should familiarize yourself with the changes NOW so that when your situation changes, you make a fully informed decision on what coverage will work best for you and your family. Health Insurance Changes The way health insurance operates overseas remains largely unchanged. For most active duty family members, the logical option will be to remain enrolled in the Tricare Prime Overseas coverage, where you will receive the majority of your care at the hospital and any specialty care not provided on base by referral to a private practitioner. For a few active duty families, it might make sense to enroll in Tricare Select Overseas, where you can schedule appointments directly with providers out in town and pay cost shares for their services. Beginning in 2019, however, if family members want to switch from Tricare Prime to Select or vice versa, they can only do so after a “Qualifying Life Event” (QLE). During a QLE and the 90 days that follow it, major changes to your family structure like marriage/ divorce, retirement, deployment, having a baby, or moving will allow you to change your policy. So if you PCS
back to the continental U.S. and want to switch to Tricare Select, you’ll have a 90-day window to do so. Importantly, pregnancy is NOT considered a QLE, so if becoming pregnant is part of your short-term plans, you may want to plan ahead if you are thinking of switching health plans. Vision Insurance (NEW!) The biggest change next year for active duty family members is the eligibility to enroll in federal vision insurance plans through the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP). You will still be eligible for your free annual eye exam courtesy of Tricare, but will now have the option to purchase additional insurance coverage for the purposes of buying prescription glasses, contacts, or even Lasik surgery. The window for enrolling in 2019 coverage begins on 12 Nov. and ends 10 Dec., so be sure to do research on the available plans to determine which, if any, are right for your needs. Four insurance companies are providing FEDVIP vision plans: Aetna, FEP BlueVision (Blue Cross Blue Shield), VSP Vision Care, and UnitedHealthcare Vision. All vary slightly in their premium costs and reimbursement levels but both offer two tiers of coverage: “standard” and “high”, with the high options generally reimbursing more for contact lenses, frames, and better quality lenses. Depending on whether you are insuring just yourself or several members of your family, and the level of coverage you elect, you will pay in the neighborhood of between $90 and $500 annually for premiums. Specific to our overseas location, all four plans acknowledge that there are no international in-network providers, so they offer out-of-network reimbursement up to certain caps for each service. Some companies are more generous than others—be sure to read Section 6 of each company’s 2019
plan brochure which details the overseas reimbursement schedules. Aetna’s plan offers two online retailers that are considered in-network providers: Glasses.com and Contactsdirect.com. That point alone might tip the scales in favor of electing vision insurance, knowing that you could easily order your contact lenses and glasses online. Dental Insurance Finally, there are some important changes coming to dental insurance for retirees. In 2019, FEDVIP will take over administering federal dental plans, which will replace the Tricare Retiree Dental Program. FEDVIP will give enrollees the option of choosing from six national plans: Aetna Dental, Delta Dental, FEP BlueDental, GEHA, MetLife, and United Concordia Dental, in addition to four regional plans. Under the new plan, retired uniformed service members and their families will be eligible to enroll in dental coverage under FEDVIP. But current retirees will need to take an ac-
tive role in transitioning from the expiring Tricare Retiree Dental Program; they must enroll during the open season, which runs from 12 Nov. to 10 Dec. Retirement is considered a QLE, so newly-retiring service members and their families will be eligible to enroll at any time of the year so long as it occurs within the 90-day window. Want to Make Any Changes? Enroll During Open Season There is only a small amount of time to make changes to your insurance options without having a QLE. You must elect changes between 12 Nov. and 10 Dec. While most Sigonella active duty family members will likely elect to stay put with their current policies, some might want to take advantage of the new vision plans. And everyone should keep note of the important change in policy regarding Tricare plan switching rules and dental insurance for retirees. Educate yourself now so that you’re not overwhelmed with the decision when the time comes.
Sigonella Filipino-American Fiesta! By Lt. Andriana Genualdi NAS Sigonella Public Affairs
(November 03, 2018) Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Vincent Cabalbag serves a roast pig to guests at the Sigonella Filipino-American Association Fiesta in the Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella Gym at NAS I. NAS Sigonella is an operational ashore base that enables U.S., allied, and partner nation forces to be where they are needed and when they are needed to ensure security and stability in Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Andriana Genualdi)
Members of the Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella community gathered at the NAS I Gym 5 Oct. to participate in a Fiesta hosted by the Sigonella Filipino-American (Fil-Am) Association. The Association, whose purpose is to promote community relations through social, civic, cultural, and charitable activities, as well as promote unity and foster understanding at NAS Sigonella and in the surrounding communities, had an amazing turnout at this celebration of food and culture. The gym had been transformed with decorations, including balloons and streamers, that were the vision of Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 2nd Class Sarah Barambangan, one of the
members of the Fil-Am Association, making it a colorful and welcoming environment. The event began with the American and the Philippine national anthems being sung by members of the Fil-Am Association. Following the anthems, Chief Logistics Specialist Eugene Alvarez gave an opening prayer and then it was time to eat! Nearly 30 dishes were prepared to share with the community, including entrees, desserts, and an entire roasted pig! As the guest of honor, Command Master Chief Nancy Estrada, the NAS Sigonella command master chief, was invited to be the first person to go down the line and load up a plate with delicious food. Soon the entire gathering of roughly 300 peo-
“FiESTA” continued on Page 8