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New York Times
March 25, 2005
Pentagon To Extend Health Coverage For Reserve Troops
By Associated Press
WASHINGTON, March 24 (AP) - The more than 400,000 members of the National Guard and Reserve mobilized since the Sept. 11 attacks will be offered military health coverage for up to eight years after returning to civilian life, officials said Thursday.
Eligibility will be limited to personnel remaining in the Reserve after demobilization, said Thomas F. Hall, assistant defense secretary for reserve affairs.
Mr. Hall said that in discussing health plans with more than 2,000 members of the Guard and Reserve in the Persian Gulf recently, he heard enthusiasm for such transitional insurance.
"It targets the young men and women bearing the brunt today," Mr. Hall said.
Guard and Reserve members can now retain health coverage under the Tricare system up to six months after active duty. Under the new arrangement they could retain coverage for at least a year and as long as eight, depending on the length of their mobilization and their commitment to remain in the Guard or Reserve.
They would pay monthly premiums of $50 to $150 for individual coverage, depending on rank, and $100 to $300 for family coverage, depending on rank.
Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant defense secretary for health affairs, said at a news conference with Mr. Hall that he had no firm estimate of the cost of the program.
Later, the Pentagon issued a statement saying that the cost would be $70 million for the remainder of the budget year, which ends on Sept. 30, and $394 million for the 2006 budget year. Mr. Hall said he expected a majority of the eligible troops to resume health care coverage offered by their civilian employers.
Dr. Winkenwerder said the Pentagon had no firm forecast of how many people might use the benefit.
"It's going to be many thousand to tens of thousands, we would expect, at a minimum," he said.
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