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The children of active-duty and retired service members could remain with their parents’ TRICARE medical coverage until age 26 with no added premium under a bipartisan bill introduced in the House and Senate last week.
Currently, TRICARE dependents can remain on their parents’ insurance policy until they are 21 years old without extra fees, 23 if they are a full-time student.
But keeping a dependent on TRICARE until they are 26 — the standard for civilians with private insurance — comes with a separate monthly premium.
The TRICARE Young Adult Program costs between $337 and $727 a month, according to a press release from Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., one of the bill sponsors.
The Health Care Fairness for Military Families Act would extend TRICARE coverage for active-duty and retired dependents up to 26 years old without paying an additional premium.
“As a Navy combat veteran, I know firsthand the sacrifices military families make,” Kelly said. “They’ve earned access to the same high-quality health care that American families expect. That’s why we’re fixing this gap in TRICARE coverage, so young adult children in military families aren’t left behind.”
Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., are also original sponsors of the Senate bill.
Reps. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., and Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., introduced the bill in the House.
“The fact that [military families are] forced to pay hundreds of dollars a month to keep their young adult children on TRICARE — while civilians can keep theirs covered at no cost until age 26 — is simply unfair,” said Kiggans, a Navy veteran.
“I’m proud to support this bipartisan legislation to fix that. Our military families deserve the same peace of mind as every other American family — especially when it comes to health care,” she added.
The bill was previously introduced in 2021 and 2023.
The legislation is endorsed by several veteran and military service organizations, including NGAUS, which counts it among its top priorities zero-cost health care for every member of the National Guard.
The National Guard Bureau estimates that 16% of Guard Soldiers and or Airmen have no medical coverage yet are subject to no-notice callups for duty.
In addition, they are not eligible for health care while on state active duty and only receive TRICARE coverage when federal orders of more than 30 days.
—By John Goheen
