House-Senate Agreement
In Iraq-Afghanistan Supplemental Appropriations Bill
On Providing Health Insurance Coverage For Guard And Reserves
October 29, 2003

AT-A-GLANCE SUMMARY

The new House-Senate agreement on Guard and Reserve health care, reached Wednesday, will ensure that each member of the Guard and Reserves has access to health insurance to improve readiness for call-to-duty. It will begin on a one-year trial basis with four major provisions:

1) TRICARE Buy-In: Guard members who are unemployed or whose employers do not offer health insurance would be able to enroll themselves and their families in the military’s TRICARE program on a cost-share basis. A single reservist would pay an annual premium, around 30 percent of the annual cost of providing care, amounting to about $420 annually for single reservists and $1450 annually for a reservist and his or her family.

2) TRICARE Upon Receiving Orders: All Guard members, Reservists and their families would be eligible to enroll in TRICARE as soon as members receive activation orders, as opposed to when they are actually activated. This change will smooth and expedite the transition to active service.

3) Extension of TRICARE Eligibility after Demobilization: All Guard members, Reservists and their families can stay in TRICARE for 6 months after demobilization, whatever their time in service.

4) Authorization for Additional Medical Screening: The secretaries of the Army and the Air Force are authorized to provide a full medical screening to members of the Guard and Reserves when they receive the orders that they will be activated.

Another provision, which would have helped reduce the turbulence to families created by the activation of a family member was dropped.  This provision would have reimbursed families who chose to maintain their civilian health insurance.

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Comment of Maj. Gen. (retired) Richard C. Alexander, president, National Guard Association of the United States: "Today Congress took a major step toward improving the health readiness of the National Guard and Reserves as well as the health care of individual Guardsmen and Reservists.  This is the most significant victory the Guard and Reserves have had in Congress since the passage of the Montgomery GI Bill, and we expect that it will have similar positive impact in recruiting and retention. It should also make it easier to mobilize and demobilize."                                                                                                             

Comment of Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt., co-chair, Senate National Guard Caucus): “We have called on the Guard and Reserves early and often in the war on terrorism.  Today they are serving front-line duty in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, but we still only give our Guard and Reserves and their families rear-guard health insurance coverage.  Filling in the gaps in our patchwork system of health coverage for our reservists is long overdue.  This is a giant step forward for fairness for them and their families, and it’s a big step forward for our military readiness.”

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