TRICARE Open Season is the yearly window when eligible retirees and family members can enroll in a [TRICARE](https://www.tricare.mil/) health plan or switch between TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Select for the next year. Open Season does not cover every TRICARE program.
Any change you make during the window takes effect on January 1 of the following year. Outside the window, you generally need a Qualifying Life Event (QLE) to change plans. If you are already enrolled and do nothing, you generally stay on the same plan.
Dates are announced each year at tricare.mil.
Who Can Change Plans During TRICARE Open Season
TRICARE Open Season generally applies to retired uniformed services members, their eligible family members, and family members of active duty sponsors who choose between plans such as TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Select. Eligibility depends on your status and your location, so confirm both on [tricare.mil](https://www.tricare.mil/) before you plan a change.
Several groups sit outside Open Season because their coverage works differently. The table below sums up the general pattern for each group.
| Group | Picks a plan during Open Season? | Where to read more |
|---|
| Retired uniformed services members and their eligible family members | Generally yes, among the plans offered where they live | TRICARE options overview |
| Family members of active duty sponsors | Generally yes | Prime vs Select |
| Active duty service members | No. Their service enrolls them in a Prime-type option | TRICARE Prime |
| TRICARE For Life beneficiaries | Generally no. The program is tied to Medicare Part A and Part B eligibility | TRICARE For Life |
| TRICARE Reserve Select members | Generally no. The program has its own enrollment rules | TRICARE Reserve Select |
| TRICARE Young Adult members | Generally no. The program has its own enrollment rules | TRICARE Young Adult |
Groups Open Season Generally Leaves Out
Active duty service members are enrolled by their service in a Prime-type option, so Open Season gives them no plan to pick. Their family members are a separate case and generally can choose a plan during the window.
TRICARE For Life is tied to Medicare Part A and Part B eligibility, which puts it outside the Prime and Select choice. Our [TRICARE For Life guide](/explainers/tricare-for-life/) explains how that program works.
TRICARE Reserve Select and TRICARE Young Adult are premium-based programs with their own enrollment rules. Our guides to [TRICARE Reserve Select](/explainers/tricare-reserve-select/) and [TRICARE Young Adult](/explainers/tricare-young-adult/) cover each one. Program rules change, so read the current rules for both on [tricare.mil](https://www.tricare.mil/).
Confirm the status of each person in your household on [tricare.mil](https://www.tricare.mil/), because one family can include someone Open Season covers and someone it leaves out. An active duty sponsor and that sponsor's spouse are one example: the spouse generally falls under Open Season and the sponsor does not.
What You Can Do During the Enrollment Window
During Open Season, an eligible beneficiary can enroll in a TRICARE health plan or change from one plan to another where both plans are offered. Moving between TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Select is one example.
- Enroll in a TRICARE health plan if you are eligible and not yet enrolled.
- Switch from TRICARE Prime to TRICARE Select where Select is offered.
- Switch from TRICARE Select to TRICARE Prime where Prime is offered.
- Keep your current plan by taking no action.
Plan availability depends on where you live, and a move can change plan availability. Our [TRICARE East vs TRICARE West guide](/explainers/tricare-east-vs-tricare-west/) explains the regions.
A switch made during Open Season starts on January 1 of the following year. If you need a change sooner, a Qualifying Life Event is the route TRICARE provides outside the window.
What Happens If You Do Nothing
If you are already enrolled in a TRICARE plan and take no action during Open Season, you generally stay in that plan for the next year.
Staying in the same plan does not lock in your costs. Any fee or cost-share changes for the new year can still apply from January 1. Rank and Pay does not publish premium, fee, or cost-share figures here, so read the new year's costs on [tricare.mil](https://www.tricare.mil/) before you decide to leave your enrollment alone.
Check whether your family's doctors are in network for the plan you are considering, and check the new year's costs on [tricare.mil](https://www.tricare.mil/).
TRICARE Prime vs Select at Open Season
TRICARE Prime uses a primary care manager and referrals, while TRICARE Select lets you see any TRICARE-authorized provider without a referral for most care. When you weigh a switch, compare the two plans on how you reach a doctor and what you would pay.
| Criterion | TRICARE Prime | TRICARE Select |
|---|
| How you get care | Through a primary care manager | From any TRICARE-authorized provider you choose |
| Referrals | Uses referrals | No referral needed for most care |
| Where it is offered | Depends on where you live | Depends on where you live |
| New-year costs | Published on tricare.mil | Published on tricare.mil |
| Pick it if | You are comfortable with a primary care manager and referrals | You want to book most care with TRICARE-authorized providers directly |
Choose Prime if a primary care manager and referrals suit the way your family uses care and Prime is offered where you live. Choose Select if the doctors your family sees are TRICARE-authorized and you want to see them without a referral for most visits.
If You Miss TRICARE Open Season
If you miss TRICARE Open Season and have no Qualifying Life Event, you generally cannot enroll in or switch plans until the next Open Season or until a QLE occurs. The effect on you depends on whether you were already enrolled.
- If you were already enrolled, you generally stay on your current plan for the next year.
- If you were not enrolled, you generally cannot enroll until the next Open Season or a QLE.
For possible exceptions, ask your TRICARE regional contractor and read the enrollment rules on [tricare.mil](https://www.tricare.mil/).
To avoid missing the window, add the Open Season dates to your calendar as soon as [tricare.mil](https://www.tricare.mil/) announces them.
How a Qualifying Life Event Opens a Change Window
A Qualifying Life Event is a change in your circumstances that lets you change TRICARE enrollment outside Open Season. Examples include:
- Marriage
- Divorce
- The birth or adoption of a child
- A change in the sponsor's status
- A move that changes which plans are available to you
A QLE opens a limited window of time to make a change. The length of that window and the full list of events are published on [tricare.mil](https://www.tricare.mil/).
To make a change, use the method your TRICARE regional contractor lists, then save the confirmation.
Who This Is Not For
This page is not for active duty service members looking to pick a plan, because their service enrolls them in a Prime-type option. It also does not cover enrollment for TRICARE For Life, TRICARE Reserve Select, or TRICARE Young Adult, which each follow their own rules. Use the [TRICARE For Life](/explainers/tricare-for-life/), [TRICARE Reserve Select](/explainers/tricare-reserve-select/), or [TRICARE Young Adult](/explainers/tricare-young-adult/) guide instead.
If you want to understand every TRICARE plan before you think about timing, start with our [TRICARE options overview](/explainers/tricare-options-explained/).
What Would Change This Answer
A change to TRICARE program rules would change this answer, since the rules for each program change over time. A rule change could shift which groups Open Season covers, how it treats people who do nothing, or which events count as qualifying.
Your own situation can change the answer too. A Qualifying Life Event opens a window outside Open Season, and a move can change which plans you are able to pick. When this guide and [tricare.mil](https://www.tricare.mil/) disagree, follow tricare.mil.
Before Open Season, open [tricare.mil](https://www.tricare.mil/), note the published dates, and compare Prime and Select for each person in your household.
This page is general information and is not legal or financial advice. Rank and Pay is not affiliated with the Department of Defense (DoD), TRICARE, or the Defense Health Agency. Confirm your eligibility and any plan change on [tricare.mil](https://www.tricare.mil/), with your DEERS or ID card office, or with your TRICARE regional contractor before you act.