For many military families, relocating every few years for a permanent change of station can mean starting from the ground up: finding a new house, school, place of worship, grocery store, mechanic … again and again. After a while, adapting to change becomes second nature. But when it comes to navigating changes in health care plans? Even expert adaptors might need some help.

In 2018, the Department of Defense enacted sweeping updates to TRICARE, the military health care benefit covering 9.6 million military members, retirees, and their families. These changes, including new health care choices and plan rules, marked the most significant shift in coverage since 1995. As a result, millions of beneficiaries would now need to take action to remain in their current health plan or switch to a new TRICARE plan offering.

The Defense Health Agency (DHA) knew there would be no one-size-fits-all communication to get the word out. Not only were the changes themselves highly specific, but the audience constituted a diverse group. Imagine: a retired pilot living in Nevada, newlywed lieutenants in Germany, a Coast Guard recruit training in Cape May, a reservist in Florida, an active duty mother in Japan, and millions more—all at different stages of life, with different health care needs and priorities.