Leahy, Minority Leader Daschle And
Others
Urge Congress And The President
To Include Increased Health-Benefits For National Guard
In War Supplemental
WASHINGTON (Wed., Sept. 10) – Following the
Bush Administration’s announcement of extended deployments in Iraq
and President Bush’s request for an additional $87 billion for
military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.),
Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Tom Daschle (D- S.D.), Mike DeWine
(R-Ohio), and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) held a news conference
Wednesday encouraging the President and Congress to include
provisions extending healthcare benefits for National Guard members
and Reservists within the supplemental spending package.
To date, more than 200,000 members of the
National Guard and Reserves have been activated as a result of
military action in Iraq. President Bush and his Administration have
announced that many of these citizen soldiers could face longer
deployments, as long as 18 months including training. Despite the
fact that these soldiers have been recognized as critical elements
to the military’s Total Force concept, and despite the fact that
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers Tuesday
called the Guard and Reservists critical to the war and post-war
activities in Iraq and Afghanistan, many citizen soldiers and their
families lack adequate healthcare coverage prior to deployment. 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 health insurance.
Earlier this year, Leahy and others
successfully pushed to have portions of the National Guard and
Reserve Comprehensive Health Benefits Act of 2003 included in the
Defense Authorization bill for fiscal year 2004, which passed both
bodies of Congress and is now in negotiations in conference. The
measure would create a healthcare safety net for members of the
National Guard and Reserves and their families.
In a timely effort to keep critical forces
healthy, Leahy and others are working to have the measure included
in the supplemental war funding bill to ensure the Guard and
Reservists receive their benefits immediately. 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) provision also 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.”
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Related Links:
Click
here to visit Senator Leahy's National Guard Healthcare Homepage
