For the first half of 2025, mental health providers in Hampton Roads complained that the military health insurance Tricare was not paying providers on time.
Ramsey Goshert with Mission Harbor Counseling in Virginia Beach was one of several mental health counseling services in the area who did not get paid on time for several months by the contractors hired by the Defense Health Agency to run Tricare. Payments are now arriving on time, but the billing issues put a strain on providers and patients, he said.
The larger issue is because of Tricare’s “completely insulting reimbursement rates, many providers are no longer participating,” Goshert said. “This is making it increasingly difficult for Tricare beneficiaries to find a provider, especially therapy.”…