You should probably switch doctors NOW to avoid any issues with authorization, coverage, or hefty bills.
There was a mixup at the hospital regarding my insurance coverage, but at one point they had me paying almost $2400 dollars to meet the catastrophic cap ($3000) for Tricare Standard (the catastrophic cap amount depends on if you're considered active duty or "other"). Since I actually have Tricare Reserve Select, my catastrophic cap is $1000 dollars, so I really only owed a little over $600; the hospital finally issued me a refund three months later. Though Tricare covers 100% of the cost, supposedly that only happens after you have paid the deductibles and copays up to the catastrophic cap. I had paid about $400 in deductibles and copays the year of my surgery, so they covered the other $600 up to my catastrophic cap.
However, I have seen a lot of Tricare peeps on here say that they had no out-of-pocket expenses with Standard. I don't know if they already met their caps, or if they had surgery at a military hospital (which I think lowers/eliminates some/all fees?), but according to official Tricare policy, you owe the copay and deductible up to your catastrophic cap.
With that $2400 mixup I had for my surgery, I did a lot of research into Tricare policy--hopefully it helps!
