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Expanded Tricare for children would carry fee

Tricare health benefits for older children would not be free to their parents under a bill introduced in the House to ensure military parents are not left out of a key early benefit of the national health care reform bill.

The Tricare Dependent Coverage Extension Act, introduced March 24 by Rep. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., requires Tricare to cover unmarried dependents up to the age of 26 if parents have Tricare and ask that their coverage be extended. That mirrors a provision of the broader health care reform law, formally called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Currently, Tricare covers unmarried children up to age 23 if they are full-time college students and up to age 21 if they are not. Heinrich’s bill would limit benefits to unmarried dependents who are 26 or under, ineligible for an employer-provided health insurance program and reside with the military parent, unless the parent is deployed.

But the coverage would not be free; a monthly premium would be charged, with the Defense Department determining the cost.

That is not unexpected. Private health insurance companies, required by the new reform law to provide family coverage for children up to the age of 26, also have talked about charging premiums when that coverage begins in about six months.

Charging for the additional coverage clears a path for the House Armed Services Committee as it tries to include Heinrich’s legislation in the 2011 defense authorization bill. That would avoid having to find a way to specifically cover the cost of additional health benefits and also avoid potential complications in renegotiating contracts with the Tricare regional contractors, according to congressional aides who are reviewing the proposal.

Heinrich said in a statement that he wants to ensure the military is not left out of an important change in health coverage.

“Because of the new health reform bill passed by Congress, Americans who receive health insurance through a group plan will soon be able to provide coverage to dependent children up to age 26,” Heinrich said.

“Our military health coverage must meet that same standard and be nothing less. Allowing parents to provide health coverage to their dependent adult children is just one of the many small things we can do to show our military families how much we appreciate them and honor their service to our country.”