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Senate Passes
Leahy-Backed
Healthcare Safety Net
For Guard Members And Reservists
WASHINGTON
(Tues., May 20) The Senate Tuesday approved a major breakthrough for
health insurance coverage for members of the National Guard and
Reserves. In a vote of 85 to 10, the U.S. Senate approved an
amendment co-authored by U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) that would
offer a healthcare safety net to members of the National Guard and
Reserves and their families. The amendment was added to the 2004
Defense Authorization Bill.
Leahy who co-chairs the
85 member Senate National Guard Caucus has been working on the
landmark plan with other senators and with Guard and Reserve
associations for more than a year. He first outlined the plan, along
with other initiatives to improve service experiences for members of
the Guard, in a
South Burlington news conference on March
14, joined by members of the Vermont National Guard.
During a Defense
Appropriations Subcommittee hearing last week, Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld told Leahy and other panel members that the health of
the members of the Selected Reserves is a key element of the Total
Force concept that contributes to
U.S. military success and superiority. A
2002 General Accounting Office report showed that 20 percent of Guard
members and Reservists who are drilling and ready to deploy do not
have adequate healthcare insurance.
The bipartisan amendment
the Senate approved Tuesday, authored by Leahy and Sens. Lindsey
Graham (R-S.C), Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) and Hillary
Clinton (D.-NY), was based on their bill, the National Guard and
Reserve Comprehensive Health Benefits Act of 2003, introduced last
month. If it becomes law, it will make the 876,000 members of the
drilling Selected Reserve eligible under the TRICARE military health
insurance program. A single reservist would pay an annual premium,
around 30 percent of the annual cost of providing care, amounting to
no more than $420 annually for single reservists and $1450 annually
for a reservist and his or her family.
The Graham/Daschle/Leahy
(et al) amendment allows families of activated reservists to be
reimbursed for keeping their civilian healthcare coverage, helping
them maintain consistent coverage. Returning reservists and their
families would also be eligible for the new TRICARE premium-based
program.
For too long we have been
giving full-time soldiers part-time benefits, said Leahy. We are
increasingly relying on our Guard members and Reservists in the war on
terrorism and as part of our overall force structure. They need to
know that when it comes to their basic healthcare needs, they can also
rely on us.
Final Senate passage of
the overall Defense Authorization Bill is expected later this week.
The House has not yet considered its version of the defense bill.
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Links To Senator Leahy's Work On National Guard Healthcare Issues:
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