Tricare - is it confidential? (joining, health insurance, policy, benefit)

[SnugBuffalo]

I am 26 and will soon be leaving my parents' medical policy and will need my own medical insurance. I was an athlete before joining the Air Nat. Guard, and have a few old injuries that occasionally flare and require treatment.
This is related to pain management, and I don't pass out or have spasms.

My fear is that Tricare may not be as confidential as private insurers such as BCBS, Aetna, etc.. I'm assuming that Tricare is subject to the same confidentiality rules - i.e. HIPPA. Others say Tricare, being military, isn't subject to the same rules, and this could potentially affect my flying status (I am not a pilot).

Thank you for your contributions. This is a very important issue to me.

[Poncho_NM]

This might answer your question: Medical Records and Privacy (http://www.tricare.mil/mybenefit/ProfileFilter.do;jsessionid=T4WWZFLW3jnxKsQhmHFGvb H3lgBFtZM2C0NbRGqQqDj6x7ymTFKp!244020534?puri=%2Fh ome%2FMedical%2FRecordsAndPrivacy - broken link)


Rich

[PacificFlights]

Tricare is subject to the exact same confidentiality as all other insurance companies.

But, its not the insurance ciompanies where the new one will be seeking information, they will be asking you to list all conditions within a certain time period. They may want to know if you ever or within the last X years ever had any of the items they are asking about. they will want to know if you ever or within X years been treated for something, been to a hospital, or sought treatment for something. You must answer truthfully because if they ever find out you didn;t diclose something, you can be in deep trouble.

Another problem is excess information. lets say you once had a injury and sought treatment through a consolidated system such as using a military hospital for that injury, when the insurance company goes out for the APS or HTP's, these consolidated systems will usually reveil everything they have for you, not just the specifics being requested. So that treatment for itchy croch will also be sent to the insurance company. Last several private health insurnace companies also opperate health insurance information exchanges. these exchanges are to create ease of patient information between doctors, treatment facilities, specialist, etc, but once in their system, they know everything. They technically can;'t use the medical information in it but theres nothing that says they can't use the history of claims verify if you were honsest or not.

Tricare should have sent you their Privacy Policy every years so dig it out and read it so you understand what they will and won't disclose.