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Almost one in five members of the Guard and Reserve has no health insurance
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 28, 2025) — The voice of current and former National Guard officers nationwide is applauding a Senate bill that would ensure that every member of the National Guard and Reserves has access to health care.
Introduced by Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., the Healthcare for Our Troops Act (S. 2575) would offer premium-free, zero-cost-share medical coverage to every Guardsman and Reservist through TRICARE, the military’s health insurance program.
Currently, about 130,000 Guardsmen and Reservists have no medical coverage, according to the National Guard Bureau at the Pentagon. Hundreds of thousands more pay for their own coverage or rely on employer-provided health insurance.
“The National Guard is continually on the front lines both at home and abroad. Comprehensive healthcare is not a benefit; it’s a necessity for readiness,” said retired Maj. Gen. Francis M. McGinn, the NGAUS president.
“Readiness begins with wellness, and wellness begins with access,” McGinn added. “For less than 1% of the Department of Defense health care budget, we can ensure a ready reserve component. Our Guardsmen need this, and our nation needs them. I thank Senator Baldwin and her staff for their dedication to the National Guard and for their work on this effort.”
Current law provides coverage to part-time Guardsmen and Reservists only when they are federally mobilized on orders for more than 30 days. Most of the Guard’s domestic missions are of a shorter duration. Many are conducted under state active duty, which provides no health care.
In recent years, Guardsmen have responded to hurricanes, floods, wildfires, civil disturbances, border crossings and even the worst public health crisis in a century without medical coverage, McGinn said.
In addition, Guardsmen must also be medically ready to respond to the state or nation with little to no notice. This can be challenging for the almost one in five who have no private coverage and lack access to routine, preventive health care, McGinn added.
S. 2575 would also enable Guardsmen and Reservists to complete annual medical readiness requirements with their preferred civilian provider — giving commanders back valuable training days and saving more than $162 million annually in contracted medical assessments.
The legislation fixes all that by enrolling Guardsmen and Reservists into TRICARE Reserve Select at no cost.
TRS is currently a partially subsidized program for drilling Guardsmen and Reservists. They cover a monthly premium and co-pays for services. The legislation would eliminate all of those costs for participants.
That would provide Guardsmen and Reservists medical coverage on par with their active-component counterparts, McGinn said.
“We would never debate the need to provide medical coverage for active-component troops,” he said. “We need to view Guard Soldiers and Airmen in the same light.
“This legislation would also provide the Guard with a game-changing recruiting and retention tool, which would go a long way toward paying for the coverage,” he added. “And it will make our Soldiers and Airmen more attractive in the civilian job market. It’s the right thing to do for the Guard and the nation.”
Reporters, Editors & Producers: Retired Maj. Gen. Francis M. McGinn is available for interviews or to appear as a subject matter expert on issues related to the National Guard. Contact John Goheen at 202-408-5882 to schedule an interview or appearance.
About NGAUS: The association includes nearly 45,000 current or former Guard officers. It was created in 1878 to provide unified National Guard representation in Washington. In their first productive meeting after Reconstruction, militia officers from the North and South formed the association with the goal of obtaining better equipment and training by educating Congress on Guard requirements. Today, 147 years later, NGAUS has the same mission.
