A Navy veteran and his wife say Tricare rescinded approvals for over $100K in health care claims paid years ago
A Navy veteran and his wife said they were blindsided when Tricare, the military’s health care program, rescinded over $100,000 in medical claims it had approved and paid several years ago.
A Navy veteran and his wife said they were blindsided when Tricare, the military’s health care program, rescinded over $100,000 in medical claims it had approved and paid several years ago.
Harve Smith, 71, received a $470 bill in January for dermatologist visits in 2020. He thought it was a one-off error until he discovered that Tricare had retroactively denied 26 more claims for a total of about $3,000 worth of services it had already reimbursed providers for since 2019, when he first enrolled in Tricare For Life, a plan for Tricare-eligible people who have Medicare.
Tricare also reversed approvals for at least 10 claims, totaling about $100,400, for his wife, Janice, in the same time frame, while nine other claims that had once been marked as completed are being re-processed, according to records from her Tricare portal, which NBC News reviewed.
“We don’t know where this ends,” said Janice Smith, 67, who has multiple sclerosis and worries the stress will aggravate the autoimmune disorder.
Harve Smith, pictured in 1983, served in the Navy for 15 years until 1994.Courtesy Janice SmithThe couple, who live in Fallon, Nevada, said they would have to use their retirement funds or remortgage their home, which they fully own, to clear the debt. Anxiety has kept Harve Smith, who served in the Navy for 15 years until 1994, from sleeping through the night. “It just kept waking me up,” said Harve Smith, a former lieutenant commander. “Did I do something wrong?”
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