Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) is cosponsoring the bipartisan Health Care Fairness for Military Families Act to lower health care costs for military families.
What does this bill do? Also known as Senate Bill 2448, this bill expands access to TRICARE, the health insurance program for servicemembers and their families.
What lawmakers are saying:
- Sen. Ossoff: “Our military families make huge sacrifices in defense of our Nation and should not have to worry about facing undue financial hardship when in need of health care. That is why I am cosponsoring this bipartisan bill to bring down health care costs for servicemembers and their families.”
- Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ): “As a Navy combat veteran, I know firsthand the sacrifices military families make. 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.”
- Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK): “If civilians can keep their family members on their healthcare coverage until age 26, it’s just wrong that military family members are treated differently. This common-sense fix will raise the age limit, allowing military dependents to stay on their parent’s insurance plan until 26, the same age as civilians, without a premium increase. Taking care of our servicemembers means taking care of their families, and this bill takes a critical step in fulfilling that responsibility.”
Context: The bipartisan bill, led by Sens. Kelly and Murkowski, would align TRICARE eligibility with the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
This would ensure that adult children in military families can keep their TRICARE coverage until they are 26 without additional premiums, closing the coverage gap.
Currently, TRICARE only covers dependents until the age of 21 or 23 if they are enrolled as full-time students. This is opposed to the ACA, which covers dependents until age 26.
When dependents lose TRICARE eligibility, they are often left with the choice of either going without coverage or paying additional premiums for alternative plans, placing a significant financial burden on military families.
