2026 TRICARE Open Season: Dates, Rules, & Changes | TRICARE.com

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## Quick answer TRICARE Open Season is the annual period—typically from the Monday of the second full week in November to the Monday of the second full week in December—when you can enroll in or change your health insurance plan for the following year. Outside of this window, you can only make coverage changes if you experience a Qualifying Life Event (QLE), such as getting married, having a baby, or retiring.

Details

### When it occurs For the 2026 plan year, TRICARE Open Season is expected to run from **November 9, 2025, through December 8, 2025**. Any changes made during this period take effect on **January 1, 2026**.

### Your options during Open Season During this window, eligible beneficiaries have three primary choices: 1. **Stay in your current plan:** If you are satisfied with your coverage, you do not need to take any action. Your coverage will automatically continue into 2026. 2. **Enroll in a plan:** If you are eligible for TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select but are not currently enrolled, you can sign up. 3. **Change plans:** You can switch between TRICARE Prime (and its variants like USFHP) and TRICARE Select, or move from individual to family coverage.

### FEDVIP Open Season TRICARE Open Season often coincides with the **Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP)** Open Season. If you are a retiree or an active duty family member looking for dental or vision coverage, you must use the [benefeds.com](https://www.benefeds.com) portal to make those specific changes during the same timeframe.

### Enrollment Costs for 2026 While TRICARE Open Season allows you to move between plans, the costs (enrollment fees and premiums) depend on your "Group" status: * **Group A:** Sponsor’s initial enlistment or appointment was before Jan. 1, 2018. * **Group B:** Sponsor’s initial enlistment or appointment was on or after Jan. 1, 2018.

Specific 2026 enrollment fees and catastrophic caps are updated annually by the Defense Health Agency. If you fail to pay your enrollment fees during Open Season for a plan that requires them (like Select for retirees), you risk a lapse in coverage.

### Regional Contractors for 2026 When making changes, ensure you are contacting the correct contractor for your region: * **TRICARE East:** Humana Military. * **TRICARE West:** TriWest Healthcare Alliance (Note: TriWest assumed the T-5 contract on Jan 1, 2025).

## Who this affects TRICARE Open Season applies to most beneficiaries using stateside direct care or private sector care, including: * **Active Duty Family Members** enrolled in TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select. * **Retirees and their families** enrolled in TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select. * **Survivors** and certain former spouses.

**Note:** Open Season **does not** apply to TRICARE For Life (TFL), TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS), TRICARE Retired Reserve (TRR), or TRICARE Young Adult (TYA). These plans allow for purchase/enrollment at any time throughout the year.

## Sources * **TRICARE.mil:** [Open Season Information](https://www.tricare.mil/openseason) * **Defense Health Agency (DHA):** [Beneficiary Enrollment](https://health.mil) * **Humana Military (East):** [HumanaMilitary.com](https://www.humanamilitary.com) * **TriWest Healthcare Alliance (West):** [TriWest.com](https://www.triwest.com)