CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
The 437th Medical Group recently began offering open pediatric enrollment for children and adolescents up to the age of 16 and has space for 900 more enrollees.
The medical group recently gained two new pediatricians; Dr. (Maj.) Brett Coons and Dr. Larry Lutner, making open enrollment possible.
Changing a child's enrollment is easy and can be accomplished at the TRICARE Service Center located within the 437 MDG near the main entrance door facing the Fitness Center. When changing enrollment, there are a few things to keep in mind, depending on your current enrollment status.
If a child is enrolled in TRICARE Prime, go to the TRICARE Service Center and complete a form to change your child's doctor. Children enrolled to Family Practice are considered Prime. The change takes one to two weeks to take effect. A letter in the mail is sent from Humana confirming the change.
If your child is not enrolled to the 437 MDG, and therefore is enrolled in TRICARE Extra or Standard, parents may come to the same TRICARE Service Center office at the clinic and enroll the child in TRICARE Prime and subsequently the Pediatric Clinic. This change will take effect on the first day of the next month if enrollment is changed between the first and the twentieth day of the month. However, if changing a child's enrollment to Prime after the twentieth, the new enrollment will not take effect until the following month.
Date Enrollment is Changed to Prime Date Prime Enrollment Takes Effect
Dec. 1 to 20, 2009 Jan. 1, 2010
Dec. 21 to 31, 2009 Feb. 1, 2010
Since the 20th lands on a weekend, open enrollment is extended until the 21st.
If the child is a newborn, they will be considered Prime for the first 60 days of life. After that, if not enrolled at the TRICARE Service Center, the child will automatically switch to TRICARE Standard. Because TRICARE must verify beneficiary status, parents must update newborns in the Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System before they can be covered by any of the TRICARE health plans.
Direct any questions or concerns to Capt. Merritt Brockman at merritt.brockman@charleston.af.mil.