When it comes to health insurance, military beneficiaries living in the Puget Sound area of Washington State have an advantage over military families in other parts of the country: they can enroll in US Family Health Plan. US Family Health Plan (USFHP) is a special TRICARE program offered only in six US regions from Maine, to New York, Pennsylvania and Southeast Texas. Under USFHP, retired military families and the family members of active duty personnel have their TRICARE Prime insurance coverage managed and their health care delivered by not-for-profit, civilian health care providers in the local community.
In our region, US Family Health Plan is operated by Pacific Medical Centers (PacMed). PacMed is a private, not-for-profit, multi-specialty healthcare network with 150 primary and specialty care providers across ten locations in the region.
Since its inception, US Family Health Plan has served as a health plan of choice for military families, primarily through PacMed’s community-based outpatient clinics. PacMed’s practice of providing same-day appointments was one of the most significant contributors to high member satisfaction. The opening of a new PacMed clinic in Lakewood promises to be a gain to military families and members of the local community who will be able to get healthcare when and where they need it. The new PacMed clinic will improve access to health care in Lakewood and ease the demand created by the Affordable Care Act.
To learn more about USFHP, military families can call 1-866-418-7346 or visit www.USFHPnw.org. PacMed also accepts most insurance plans. To learn more about the new clinic, call 253-588-2243.
The new PacMed Lakewood clinic opened on May 2, 2016. The new address is 7424 Bridgeport Way W, Suite 201, Lakewood, WA 98499. By John Ellis