Tricare and excess skin removal

I'm not sure if I'm posting in the correct forum, but I noticed several of you out there who are having trouble getting Tricare to approve surgeries for excess skin removal and wanted to help out.

First, it is 1000 times easier to get approved if you go to a military doctor. Basically, anything that a military doctor gives you a referral for cannot be turned down by Tricare. So by using a military treatment center as your PCP, you can avoid all of the hurdles that Tricare throws out.

Second, to get referred to a surgeon for your excess skin removal, you HAVE to have some sort of problem associated with your excess skin. Examples of these are: persistent rashes, persistent yeast infections, chronic back pain associated with your excess skin ect.

IF you are having persistent problems and your PCM  (primary care manager) still won't give you a referral, do not hesitate to request to change your PCM. To do this all you have to do is call Tricare and request the change.

Once your doc says that he or she is ok with giving the referral, you have the right to ask to ask your doctor that you be sent to a plastic surgeon off base if you aren't comfortable with having a military general surgeon perform the operation.

If you want to go for the whole tummy tuck, you can pay extra on base or to a private practice surgeon to perform it while doing the excess skin removal. That will cut your costs way down and prevent you from having to have a secondary surgery. Larger base hospitals perform all types of elective plastic surgery (implants, breast lifts, ect.) but you have to pay out of pocket for them.

Good luck to all of my fellow Mil Spouses out there!