Military
Direct primary care for military families, veterans and TRICARE
I'm an Army family physician, and Colorado Springs is a military town. Here is how DPC fits with TRICARE and VA care.
Key takeaways
- Peak Health does not bill TRICARE or the VA, and neither pays the membership fee. Your benefits stay in place for everything else.
- Active-duty members stay with their military primary care manager. Their family members may join.
- On TRICARE Prime, ask your regional contractor how referrals and point-of-service costs would work before you join.
I have spent my career caring for soldiers and their families, most recently as a battalion flight surgeon. Colorado Springs is home to Fort Carson, Peterson and Schriever Space Force Bases and the Air Force Academy, and many of the people I hope to care for at Peak Health will be military families, retirees and veterans, so I want to explain plainly how direct primary care fits with the benefits you already have.
The short version
Peak Health does not bill TRICARE or the VA. Your membership is paid directly by you, and TRICARE and the VA do not pay the monthly fee. Your TRICARE or VA benefits stay in place for everything outside the membership, like specialists, hospital care, imaging and prescriptions.
Active-duty service members
If you are on active duty, you are enrolled in TRICARE Prime, and your military primary care manager is responsible for your care and your medical readiness. For that reason, I don't expect DPC to be the right fit for active-duty members themselves. Your family members are a different story.
Family members and retirees on TRICARE Select
TRICARE Select lets you see providers without a referral, and it remains your coverage for specialists, hospital stays, imaging and prescriptions. A DPC membership can sit alongside it for your everyday primary care, with longer visits and direct access to your doctor.
Family members and retirees on TRICARE Prime
TRICARE Prime routes your care through an assigned primary care manager, and specialist referrals usually come from that manager. If you join a DPC practice while on Prime, check with your TRICARE regional contractor first so you understand how referrals and any point-of-service costs would work for you.
Veterans using VA care
You can keep your VA health care and also have a DPC membership. The VA does not pay the membership fee. Some veterans use DPC for faster everyday access and keep the VA for service-connected care, specialists and prescriptions.
Medicare and TRICARE For Life
I will post details for Medicare patients, including those with TRICARE For Life, before Peak Health opens.
TRICARE rules change, and every family's situation is different. For the official rules, visit tricare.mil or call your regional contractor.
Questions from military families
Does TRICARE pay for a DPC membership?
No. Peak Health does not bill TRICARE, and TRICARE does not pay the monthly fee. Your TRICARE coverage stays in place for specialists, hospital care, imaging and prescriptions.
Can active-duty service members join?
Active-duty members are enrolled in TRICARE Prime, and their military primary care manager is responsible for their care and readiness, so DPC is generally not the right fit for them. Their family members may join.
I'm on TRICARE Prime. What should I check first?
Prime routes care through your assigned primary care manager. Before joining, ask your TRICARE regional contractor how referrals and any point-of-service costs would work in your situation.
Can veterans keep their VA care?
Yes. You can keep VA health care and have a DPC membership. The VA does not pay the membership fee.
Join the waitlist
Peak Health is not open yet. It opens for direct primary care in Colorado Springs after Dr. Bennett's Army service ends. People on the waitlist hear first and are offered membership first.
No payment and no commitment.