Military Healthcare: A Lifeline of Stability for Those Who Serve

Over the past decade, the percentage of people insured by military healthcare in the United States has remained relatively steady, demonstrating the enduring commitment of the U.S. government to providing comprehensive coverage for military personnel, veterans, and their families. Military insurance programs like TRICARE ensure that service members are well-supported, offering a level of stability that stands in stark contrast to gaps often observed in civilian health insurance coverage. Despite minor fluctuations over the years, the consistent provision of military healthcare reflects the nation's acknowledgment of the sacrifices made by its armed forces and their families.

This chart highlights the percentage of Americans insured through military healthcare from 2013 to 2023. It reveals a dip in coverage between 2016 and 2017, followed by a period of gradual recovery. While the broader healthcare landscape has faced challenges, including rising costs and access disparities, military healthcare has remained a pillar of reliability. This stability underscores the critical role of government-backed healthcare systems in safeguarding the wellbeing of those who serve and have served in the armed forces.

• Consistent Coverage Levels (2013–2023): Military healthcare consistently insured between 3.4% and 4.7% of the U.S. population over the ten-year period, demonstrating its reliability and resilience.

• Dip in Coverage (2016–2017): A notable decline occurred in 2016, dropping from 4.6% to 3.5%. However, the recovery trend starting in 2018 suggests a corrective effort to stabilize coverage.

• Post-2018 Stability: From 2018 onward, the percentage of people insured by military healthcare remained stable, hovering between 3.5% and 3.7%, despite wider uncertainties in healthcare access for other populations.

• Comparison with Civilian Insurance: The steadiness of military insurance contrasts sharply with challenges in civilian insurance coverage, highlighting its robustness as a reliable system for the insured population.

• Slight Growth in 2023: The percentage rebounded to 3.6% in 2023, signaling ongoing adjustments and improvements to maintain coverage levels.

TRICARE

TRICARE is one of the most comprehensive healthcare programs available to military personnel, retirees, and their families. It serves as a cornerstone of military insurance, providing access to medical, dental, and mental health services for millions of beneficiaries. This system is designed to support both those actively serving in the armed forces and those who have retired, ensuring continuity of care throughout their lives. Alongside TRICARE, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) manages healthcare for many veterans, particularly those with service-connected disabilities and specialized needs, creating a robust network of support for the military community.

The wide-ranging coverage of TRICARE underscores its critical role in meeting the healthcare needs of service members and their dependents. From active-duty personnel to survivors and retirees, the program highlights the government's commitment to caring for those who have dedicated their lives to service. This dual focus on current and former members of the armed forces ensures that their health and well-being are prioritized at all stages of their lives, making TRICARE a key component of the military healthcare system.

Key takeaways from chart

• Retired Beneficiaries: Retiree family members (2.68 million) and retired service members (2.26 million) comprise the largest groups of TRICARE beneficiaries, highlighting the program's emphasis on lifelong healthcare for those who have served.

• Active-Duty Support: Active-duty service members (1.34 million) and their families (1.52 million) represent significant portions of the beneficiary pool, demonstrating the immediate healthcare needs of those currently serving.

• Coverage for Reserve Personnel: National Guard/Reserve members (0.19 million) and their families (0.29 million) benefit from TRICARE, ensuring that reservists and their dependents have access to essential healthcare services.

• Extended Support for Inactive Members: TRICARE extends its reach to inactive Guard/Reserve members (0.21 million) and their families (0.31 million), ensuring coverage even after a shift to non-active roles.

• Support for Survivors: The inclusion of survivors (0.61 million) underscores TRICARE’s commitment to supporting the families of deceased service members, providing critical healthcare access during difficult times.

• VA Complementary Role: While TRICARE covers a broad range of beneficiaries, the VA addresses additional healthcare needs, particularly for veterans requiring specialized or disability-related services.

Services used by military health services

MHS beneficiaries utilize a wide variety of healthcare services, ranging from inpatient care to outpatient visits, as well as specialized services like home deliveries and pharmacy access. This chart illustrates the volume and distribution of healthcare services accessed by MHS beneficiaries across several categories of care. It underscores the comprehensive nature of MHS in meeting diverse medical needs, from routine outpatient care to emergency interventions. The data highlights how MHS supports beneficiaries at various stages of life and in multiple settings, whether through direct care facilities, private-sector providers, or supplemental programs like TRICARE for Life.

This detailed view of healthcare utilization reveals critical insights about the operational scope of MHS and its ability to adapt to the varied needs of its beneficiaries. It also sheds light on the scale of services delivered, emphasizing the importance of efficient management and resource allocation to sustain high-quality care for millions of service members, retirees, and their families.

Key takeaways from chart

High Volume of Outpatient Visits: 

• Outpatient care accounts for the largest share of services, with 101.7 million visits recorded across all types of care. This highlights the emphasis on routine and preventive care to maintain overall health.

Inpatient Admissions: 

• A total of 0.9 million inpatient admissions reflects MHS’s role in providing comprehensive hospital-based care for serious and complex conditions.

Direct Care vs. Private Sector Care:

• Direct care facilities handled 21.7 million outpatient visits and 1.2 million prescription failures, showcasing the substantial role of military medical treatment facilities.

• Private sector care accounted for 36.1 million outpatient visits, indicating the reliance on civilian providers to supplement military healthcare services.

TRICARE for Life Utilization: 

• The program for retirees over 65, TRICARE for Life, managed 30.1 million outpatient visits and 1.2 million prescription failures, underlining its critical importance for aging beneficiaries who require frequent medical attention.

Retail Pharmacy Dependence: 

• Retail pharmacies served 24.8 million beneficiaries, reflecting the significance of external providers in ensuring convenient access to medications.

Births and Home Deliveries:

• A total of 0.3 million births occurred in private-sector care, showing the reliance on civilian hospitals for maternity services.

• Home deliveries were utilized sparingly at 5.8 million instances, indicating their limited but significant role in healthcare delivery.

Emergency Visits: 

• Emergency care usage was modest, with 4.0 million visits in total, which suggests an effective emphasis on preventive and outpatient care to reduce reliance on emergency services.

Prescription Challenges: 

• Across all categories, there were 1.6 million prescription failures in private-sector care, emphasizing an area for potential improvement in medication access and coordination.

Top TRICARE beneficiaries by state

The distribution of TRICARE beneficiaries across the United States reflects key military population centers and the states where retirees and their families reside. This chart shows the top 10 states, along with overseas beneficiaries, that had the highest number of TRICARE enrollees in 2023. States like Texas, Florida, and California stand out as major hubs due to their large populations, military installations, and veteran communities. The inclusion of overseas beneficiaries underscores TRICARE’s global reach, ensuring healthcare access for service members and their dependents stationed or residing abroad.

The geographic distribution of TRICARE beneficiaries highlights how military healthcare programs adapt to regional and international needs. The high concentration of beneficiaries in certain states also reflects demographic patterns, such as the retirement migration to states with favorable climates and cost of living, as well as proximity to key military facilities.

Key takeaways from chart

• Texas Leads: Texas has the highest number of TRICARE beneficiaries, with 937.8 thousand enrollees, reflecting its large active-duty population, numerous military bases, and significant retiree community.

• Florida and California: Florida (746.6 thousand) and California (736.1 thousand) follow closely. Florida’s numbers are influenced by its popularity as a retirement destination, while California’s high count reflects its large veteran population and active-duty presence.

• Virginia’s Strategic Importance: Virginia ranks fourth with 730.5 thousand beneficiaries, likely due to the presence of significant military installations, including the Pentagon and large naval bases.

• Overseas Coverage: TRICARE supports 505.7 thousand beneficiaries overseas, ensuring healthcare access for service members, their families, and retirees stationed abroad.

• North Carolina and Georgia: Both North Carolina (505.6 thousand) and Georgia (438.8 thousand) host large military bases, such as Fort Bragg and Fort Stewart, contributing to their high beneficiary numbers.

• Emerging States: Washington (328.9 thousand), South Carolina (262.5 thousand), and Colorado (246.1 thousand) round out the list, reflecting the presence of key military populations and retiree communities in these states.

• Concentration in the Southeast: Several top states, including Florida, Virginia, Georgia, and South Carolina, highlight a regional concentration of military and veteran populations in the Southeast, which offers favorable living conditions and proximity to military facilities.

• Global Reach of TRICARE: The inclusion of overseas beneficiaries underscores TRICARE’s ability to provide global healthcare services, ensuring continuity of care for active-duty personnel, dependents, and retirees living abroad.

Uninsured population

Healthcare access is one of the most significant benefits available to U.S. military service members, veterans, and their families, setting them apart from the general population. This chart starkly contrasts the uninsured rates between veterans and nonveterans in the United States, showcasing how military healthcare systems like TRICARE and VA programs provide near-universal coverage for military affiliates. With only 4.7% of veterans uninsured compared to 11.1% of nonveterans, the data underscores the success of military-focused healthcare programs in ensuring comprehensive coverage for those who have served.

This disparity highlights the effectiveness of dedicated military healthcare programs, which not only address the physical and mental health needs of veterans but also significantly reduce the burden of uninsured individuals. In contrast, the civilian population faces systemic challenges in achieving similar levels of coverage, underscoring the broader issues within the U.S. healthcare system.

Key takeaways from chart

• Veterans Have High Insurance Coverage: A remarkable 95.3% of veterans are insured, showcasing the success of programs like TRICARE and VA healthcare in providing robust coverage to those who have served.

• Low Uninsured Rate for Veterans: Only 4.7% of veterans remain uninsured, significantly lower than the 11.1% uninsured rate among nonveterans, reflecting the efficiency of military-affiliated healthcare systems.

• Military Healthcare Accessibility: The low uninsured rate among veterans highlights the accessibility and affordability of TRICARE and VA healthcare programs, which prioritize continuity of care for military personnel and their families.

• Contrast with Nonveterans: The higher uninsured rate of 11.1% among nonveterans reveals systemic gaps in the civilian healthcare system, including cost barriers and lack of universal access.

• Impact of Government Support: Government-supported healthcare programs for veterans demonstrate how structured, well-funded systems can achieve near-universal coverage, a stark contrast to the fragmented civilian healthcare landscape.

• Broader Implications: The disparity in uninsured rates points to the need for lessons from military healthcare systems to be applied to civilian healthcare reform, particularly in addressing affordability and accessibility challenges.

Sources & References

NAIC (2025). Consumer military section. https://content.naic.org/consumer/military.htm

Statista (2024). % of American covered by Medicaid. https://www.statista.com/statistics/241966/percentage-of-us-americans-covered-by-medicaid/

Statista (2024). Number of adults insured. https://www.statista.com/statistics/241966/percentage-of-us-americans-covered-by-medicaid/

Health.Gov (2025). Patient Care Numbers for the MHS. https://www.health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/MHS-Toolkits/Media-Resources/Media-Center/Patient-Care-Numbers-for-the-MHS

Urban.Org (2023). Uninsured population of veterans in the US. https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/2023-11/Uninsured%20Veterans%20in%20the%20US.pdf