PCS while pregnant question

Vraechel

Hi,

We are pregnant with our fourth baby. We will have 4 under 4! CRAZY, but crazy good My question is about prenatal care during our move. We are PCSing from Hawaii to Connecticut. We will be stopping for 6 weeks in MN between. During the "smooth moves class" I was told that prenatal care is considered "routine" medical care and we could not be seen in MN. When I called Tricare they said that we just need to call them in MN and they will assign me a new PCM. My husband doesn't think it's going to be that easy. Has anyone done this? I will be there from 18 to 24 weeks pregnant and want to make sure I get my anatomy scan and check ups.

Thanks for your help 

LyndseylovesHugh

We PCSd when I was 18 weeks.  I was on Standard and just called an in-network doctor and made an appointment, very easy.  Would you be interested in switching to Standard, at least for that 6 week period in between?  It was very easy to switch, just a phone call.

esullivan05

LyndseylovesHugh:

We PCSd when I was 18 weeks.nbsp; I was on Standard and just called an innetwork doctor and made an appointment, very easy.nbsp; Would you be interested in switching to Standard, at least for that 6 week period in between?nbsp; It was very easy to switch, just a phone call.

When you switch to standard, you are locked out of prime for 1 year.

Switching to standard might be your best option. Maternity care on standard is covered as long as the doctor is in network. Do you know where you will be staying? It might benefit you to research a few doctors before making the move. If you are on standard, the clinic just needs an authorization from Tricare, no referral needed.

I'm from MN and I can tell you that the healthcare is wonderful! I wish I was delivering there.

Good luck with your move! I hope everything works out!

Vraechel

Yeah. I didn't want to get locked out of prime. From talking to the person on the phone they made is sound as simple as calling and changing my address with tricare once in Minnesota and then changing it again once we get to Connecticut. Theres a blanket authorization form you can print online but the lady on the phone said it would be simpler to just call back once we arrive. Which makes me nervous. So they would assign me a new PCM then they would give me a referral to an OBGYN. I'm wondering if this is going to be a long process... possibly longer than 6 weeks? My other option would be to travel from Hawaii to Connecticut see a dr then turn around and travel back to Minnesota then back to Connecticut. Which I am not eager to do pregnant and totting 3 under 3. Actual my oldest will be turning three shortly but still not my idea of a good time:)

JENandJEH

No advice on the OPs situation but I wanted to say that when I switched to Standard for my last pregnancy, I was told there is no longer a lock out period for switching back over to Prime (no matter rank).  When I went in to enroll DS2, they asked if I wanted to switch myself back to Prime but I mentioned being locked out for a year and he told me that was no longer their policy unless you switched back and forth a certain number of times in a certain time period (I can't e remember what he said).  I was switched back at around the 10 month mark with no issues.  Not sure if my situation was some strange anomaly but it may be worth checking into for the OP.  

meltoine

They did away with the lockout period last year. 

Tricare recommends updating your address with them if you are going to be anywhere for more than 30 days. So you would update with them when you get to MN and they will assign you a new PCM in MN. You will have to go to that PCM and get a referral to an OB in the area.

Same drill when you arrive in CT. Call Tricare, change region, see PCM, get referral, see OB.  

Lissa832

I switched from Prime to Standard at 24 weeks. I couldn't just call and schedule an appointment. I had to submit my records for review before the civilian doctor would accept me as a patient. It took about 3-4 weeks for the approval, mainly because the MTF took their sweet time sending them.

Vraechel

I'm hoping this is simple! I am planning on hand carrying a copy of all my medical records to MN. I've heard a lot of horror stories about peoples never arriving. Hope this helps speed things up. I guess I'll try to call and change my address and hope for the best. I'm glad to know what they did away with the lock out period for switching back and forth from prime to standard. I guess the last time I talked to anyone at tricare about it was a few years ago. Thanks!

esullivan05

Vraechel:

I'm hoping this is simple! I am planning on hand carrying a copy of all my medical records to MN. I've heard a lot of horror stories about peoples never arriving. Hope this helps speed things up. I guess I'll try to call and change my address and hope for the best. I'm glad to know what they did away with the lock out period for switching back and forth from prime to standard. I guess the last time I talked to anyone at tricare about it was a few years ago. Thanks!

 

Tricare did not change the lock out period. It may be different for each region but it's definitely still there. I'm currently 30 weeks pregnant and switched to standard around 17 weeks. When I made the switch, I signed a form specifically saying I would be locked out for 1 year.

 

Everyone has different experiences with Tricare, so it's hard to get a clear answer on this site. I would suggest staying in contact with Tricare. Taking your records with you is a great idea. I did the same and it made my life a lot easier! 

 

Good luck 

Vraechel

Oh Tricare, can't you just make things easy:) I think my biggest concern is that I really want my 20 week anatomy scan. I wonder if I could get it done here at 18 weeks?  With my first I went out in town for prenatal care and they did it early. I just feel like that's a particularly important thing to have done to make sure everything is forming correctly. 

LyndseylovesHugh

esullivan05:

LyndseylovesHugh:

We PCSd when I was 18 weeks.nbsp; I was on Standard and just called an innetwork doctor and made an appointment, very easy.nbsp; Would you be interested in switching to Standard, at least for that 6 week period in between?nbsp; It was very easy to switch, just a phone call.

When you switch to standard, you are locked out of prime for 1 year. Switching to standard might be your best option. Maternity care on standard is covered as long as the doctor is in network. Do you know where you will be staying? It might benefit you to research a few doctors before making the move. If you are on standard, the clinic just needs an authorization from Tricare, no referral needed. I'm from MN and I can tell you that the healthcare is wonderful! I wish I was delivering there. Good luck with your move! I hope everything works out!

Oh, I did not know that.  I stayed on Standard and have not switched back.  

keg79380

My husband and I will be PCSing as well, but I'll be 14 weeks. We'll only be traveling for two weeks, but will be due for an appointment once we get to the new duty station. I called Tricare and the representative told me I could make an appointment for the new post as soon as he clears our current post. Does this seem right to anyone? I know I'll have to go through the annoying process of seeing the PCM before seeing an OB again, but does he have to sign into the future post before I can even get assigned a new PCM?

Vraechel

Yes, the lock out would apply to us. I'm reluctant to switch after my last pregnancy. I had twins and spent a lot of time in the hospital on bed rest. I know that most likely wont happen this time around since I'm having a single baby but I can imagine that the bill would have been high with standard. Also where we are going they send you out in town for prenatal care regardless of insurance type so if I can just deal with the annoyance while traveling I think it will make more sense. I don't see why they couldn't do my scan at 18 weeks. I'm hoping they will feel the same way. 

J&NL

I didn't quite PCS but I moved back to Pensacola from New Mexico when I was 31 weeks pregnant with my first pregnancy. It was stressful, yes but it still went smooth. I still spent plenty of time with my OB and received plenty of care before my delivery. I was actually thankful to move because the hospital back home was way better than the ones in NM. 

Stephanie2167

Glad I'm not the only one dealing with this. I just had my 12 week appt. today and we move from WA to TX next week. I wont be in TX until July 1st (15 weeks) so I'll need to get a PCM and get a referral within the first week of being there.

Can I get a PCM without a permanent address yet?