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TRICARE

Tricare Fairness Act Reintroduced to Grant

Retired Reserve Personnel Lower-Cost

Health Coverage

Renewing legislation first introduced in the last Congress,
U.S. Reps. Bill Johnson (R-OH) and Dean Phillips
(D-MN), the TRICARE Fairness for National Guard and
Reserve Retirees Act (H.R. 3668) is to open up healthcare
options for retired Reserve personnel. They were joined
in this effort in the Senate as well by U.S. Sens. JD Vance
(R-OH) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
can only draw from the more costly TRICARE Retired
“When Congress authorized a reduction in the retirement Reserve plans.
age to below 60 for our National Guard and Reserve
members in 2008, it erred by not ensuring that eligibility Instead, Johnson and Phillips proposed that Reserve per-
ages for the TRICARE Standard, TRICARE Extra, and sonnel who are not yet 60 years old but are drawing retire-
TRICARE Prime healthcare plans were also lowered,” ment pay could purchase lower-cost TRICARE health
Johnson said. “This bipartisan legislation would align the coverage meant for retired military personnel.
age that many Retired Reserve personnel begin receiving
retired pay with the age at which they become eligible for “As a Gold Star Son, I know that our service members
the less costly TRICARE healthcare plans.” deserve our utmost support,” Phillips said. “Providing
affordable, high-quality health care should be the very
The oversight, Johnson said, could force National Guard minimum standard of support afforded to our service
and Reserve members to wait up to 10 years before being members, especially those in the National Guard and
eligible for the less costly TRICARE healthcare plans Reserve who have earned early retirement.”
under current law. Presently, members of the Reserve
can retire once they reach 50 years old, based on active- NERA supports this bills and believes it could save indi-
duty performance, but until they reach 60 years old, they viduals thousands of dollars each year in healthcare costs.

All military families can

speak to a trained

professional 24/7 for free

www.veteranscrisisline.net

The Naval Enlisted Reserve Association 21

9/19/23 9:31 AM
Mariner Summer 2023 Volume 66 Issue 2 091923.indd 21
Mariner Summer 2023 Volume 66 Issue 2 091923.indd 21 9/19/23 9:31 AM