This is an archival post from 2012, kept for historical reference rather than as current guidance — see our up-to-date TRICARE overview for current information.
When the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act in June 2012, it created a wave of questions for people covered by employer or government health plans about whether anything would change for them. For TRICARE beneficiaries specifically, the answer at the time was straightforward: TRICARE already satisfied the ACA's minimum essential coverage requirement, so the ruling didn't require any change to TRICARE enrollment or coverage for military beneficiaries.
Healthcare policy has continued to evolve substantially since 2012 — including the later end of the TRICARE Retiree Dental Program in 2018 and its replacement with FEDVIP. For current, accurate information, always check TRICARE.mil directly rather than relying on older posts, including this one.