Editor’s Note: This article is part of MOAA’s 2026-27 TRICARE Guide, brought to you by MOAA Insurance Plans, administered by Association Member Benefits Advisors (AMBA). A version of the guide appeared in the November 2026 issue of Military Officer magazine.  

TRICARE Young Adult is a stand-alone health care plan available to certain former TRICARE beneficiaries who aged out of their parent’s TRICARE coverage but have not yet reached age 26. TRICARE medical coverage under a parent’s eligibility applies to dependent children until age 21, or age 23 for a full-time student.

With the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, civilian health insurance is required to cover eligible children until age 26. This left military kids with a gap, which Congress filled by creating the TRICARE Young Adult program.

However, because the program is self-funded, users must pay a premium separate from what the rest of the family pays for TRICARE coverage.

You are eligible for TRICARE Young Adult if you are:

• The dependent child of a TRICARE-eligible sponsor.
• Between the ages of 21 (or 23 as a full-time student) and 26.
• Unmarried.
• Without access to employer-sponsored health coverage based on your own employment.

[RELATED: Pentagon Office Outlines 2027 Priorities for Military Families]

You will need to pay for the first two months’ premium at the time of enrollment. Enrollees will need to get a new military ID for their coverage, since their prior ID will expire when they become ineligible for family coverage.

This program works like other TRICARE plans and offers a choice between TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Select. However, the costs and functions differ. Premiums are recalculated annually to reflect the program’s self-funded status.

Beneficiaries must also pay deductibles and copayments based on their sponsor’s status (actively serving or retired), but always at Group B rates regardless of when the sponsor entered service. (For context, Group A applies if the servicemember entered service before Jan. 1, 2018; Group B applies if the servicemember entered service on or after that date.)

The catastrophic cap (the annual out-of-pocket maximum) is where things can get tricky. Amounts paid by the TRICARE Young Adult member for the deductible and copayments count toward the family’s catastrophic cap, which can significantly reduce the overall cost of the coverage. However, the TRICARE Young Adult member is always tied to the Group B catastrophic cap, even if the rest of the family is in Group A.

[MORE FINANCIAL GUIDANCE: Financial Calculators From MOAA]

In practice, this means that when the Group A family meets its catastrophic cap, the TRICARE Young Adult member will need to pay an additional amount out of pocket before the personal cap is met. For families that meet their catastrophic cap, the family nature of the calculation can make TRICARE Young Adult more affordable than the premium may make it seem.

Notably, TRICARE Young Adult is not the only option. Alternatives include a school’s student health plan; other insurance available through a parent; employer-sponsored coverage; Affordable Care Act marketplace plans; health-sharing plans; Medicaid; and private insurance. When making a decision, don’t just consider premiums; also compare deductibles, copayments, and that important family catastrophic cap.