by Ric Carlson, 21st Medical Group
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- New parents should be enjoying their newborn, not worrying about health care. TRICARE management activity, or TMA, provides essential health care information for parents on its Web site.
The life events section at www.tricare.mil guides parents-to-be from maternity to pre-teen health care. The site includes information about prenatal, postpartum, pre-adoption, adoption and well-child care.
One of the first and most important steps is enrolling your newborn in the Defense Eligibility and Enrollment Response System, commonly known as 'DEERS.' The TRICARE site shows parents how to effectively navigate the enrollment process, a crucial step that gets a child into the system where they can be recognized as an eligible beneficiary.
Parents can find essential information about their child's dental health at www.tricaredentalprogram.com. Here, TRICARE conveys dental program options and enrollment information, and answers questions about oral care for children.