TRICARE to Extend Dependent Coverage to Age 26 (no wonder Prime premiums to rise)

Armed Forces Press Service ^ | 1/14/11 | Donna Miles

[markomalley]

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2011 – To ensure military families don’t get left out as the new national health care reform law extends parent’s health insurance to their children up to age 26, TRICARE plans to roll out its new Young Adult Program by spring and to provide an option to make coverage retroactive to Jan. 1.

The new program will allow qualified, unmarried military children up to age 26 to buy health care coverage under their parents’ TRICARE plans through age 26, defense officials announced yesterday. That’s up from the current maximum age of 21, or 23 for full-time college students whose parents provide more than half their financial support.

The fiscal 2011 National Defense Authorization Act President Barack Obama signed Jan. 7 gave the Defense Department the authority it needed to extend TRICARE coverage to young adults, TRICARE spokesman Austin Camacho explained. This ensures benefits extended under TRICARE are in line with those all American families receive under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that took effect in March.

“We’ve been working hard to make sure we could put TRICARE Young Adult on a fast track,” said Navy Rear Adm. (Dr.) Christine Hunter, who heads the TRICARE Management Activity. “Fortunately for our beneficiaries concerned about health care coverage for their adult children, the law signed by the president includes opportunities for military families to elect this new premium-based plan retroactive to Jan. 1.”

Qualified young adults who don’t have access to employer-sponsored health care coverage will be eligible to purchase it through TRICARE on a month-to-month basis, Camacho said.

Details about how much those premiums will cost under the new program still are being finalized. But because the 2011 defense authorization specifies that the rates must cover all program costs, Camacho said, premiums will be based on commercial insurance data about the costs of providing care.

Once the new program is in place, Hunter estimated that it could extend TRICARE coverage to several hundred thousand additional beneficiaries.

“The premium allows us to provide the excellent benefit to our military families while responsibly addressing the impact of health care costs on the DOD budget,” she said.

Meanwhile, the TRICARE staff has moved into overdrive to iron out the program details: determining eligibility and coverage criteria and costs; designing, testing and implementing the required software and systems changes; updating eligibility databases; and crafting education efforts, Camacho said.

Officials plan to roll out the new program in two phases, first offering a premium-based TRICARE Standard/Extra benefit, Camacho said. Then, later this year, they plan to introduce the TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Prime Remote plan, including overseas options, and the Uniformed Services Family Health Plan.

Once the program is in place, eligible young adults may submit an application and premium payment to the appropriate regional or overseas contractor for processing, Camacho said. Cost shares, deductibles and catastrophic caps will vary, based on the plan selected and the sponsor’s status.

Young adult beneficiaries will receive an enrollment card after they buy coverage, and their payment is reflected in the Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System, Camacho said.

The new beneficiaries may choose to pay premiums back to Jan. 1, which will entitle them to file claims for any health care costs they have accrued since that date. To do so, officials advise that they save all receipts to ease claims processing.

For adults who need health insurance coverage but no longer qualify for TRICARE coverage, officials advise exploring the Continued Heath Care Benefit Program. This premium-based program offers temporary, transitional health coverage for 18 to 36 months. Coverage must be purchased within 60 days of losing TRICARE eligibility. Information about the program is posted on the TRICARE website.

[markomalley]

Geez...it used to be till age 18 unless a full time student; then up to age 23 only.

But now 26, including for the brats who do nothing but sit in front of the x-box?

Why not.

[Jet Jaguar]

Active duty/Retiree Ping.

[Typical_Whitey]

Maybe we can get it to 62 then their medicare can take over after that....

[FlingWingFlyer]

The government is really going after the Young “I’m Going To Live Forever” Adults who normally don’t want or even care about healthcare. You vill haf ze healthcare!

[Understand the stimulus]

the original obamacareintended consequences are to ADD drug addicts who make up a significant percentage of 18 to 26 yr old...this will increase for all of us who are clean...its more obama’s way to make hard working people for the drug slime...tricare is simply adjusting to a standard that will bankrupt our healthcare

[goldstategop]

Once they get the “children” enrolled, it will be impossible to undo Obamacare.

I just can see the Democratic TV ads: “Republicans Want To Take Away Health Care From Your Children!” Save Obamacare!”

And its not like the GOP is going to make even a lame defense to sustain a repeal.

[MsLady]

I just find that having a kid on your insurance till there 26 is terrible. They have to grow up at some point come on already. Now I could see if the kid’s still going to school. But, really once school is ended GET A JOB. I don’t care if it’s washing cars, GET A JOB.

[Tea Party Reveler]

What happens if you were a good parent and your kid actually received an education and started his own career? You will be punished tax slave!

My 24 year old son doesn’t need Tri-Care anymore! And I sure as hell don’t need Obama and his rip-off BS either!

[GailA]

btt

[FreedomCalls]

But now 26, including for the brats who do nothing but sit in front of the x-box?

The point is that under Obamacare ordinary civilian children can stay on their parents' plan until age 26, but children of military retirees were barred from staying on the Tricare PLAN past age 23. Why would you allow such an option for all the civilians' children out there but bar it from being allowed for retiree children?

[FreedomCalls]

the original obamacareintended consequences are to ADD drug addicts who make up a significant percentage of 18 to 26 yr old...this will increase for all of us who are clean...its more obama’s way to make hard working people for the drug slime...tricare is simply adjusting to a standard that will bankrupt our healthcare

Tricare is simply extending to military retirees a program option that is OFFERED TO EVERYONE ELSE EXCEPT MILITARY RETIREES. Why would you deny to military retirees an option that is available to everyone else?

[OldMissileer]

I do not know ow much the civilian plans charge for these “children” but a couple of months ago I received a form from TRICARE stating it would cost $2500 per year per child.

One child would be more than what I pay for the three I have left at home (Mom, Dad, and one young teenager).

[Understand the stimulus]

i dont think drug addict adults should be covered by their parents...or BY ME....this isnt about equality its about the policy to include drug addicts in the first place...

[FreedomCalls]

i dont think drug addict adults should be covered by their parents...or BY ME....this isnt about equality its about the policy to include drug addicts in the first place...

The The Obamacare law covers all children EXCEPT the children of military retirees. This bill will extend the coverage THAT EVERYONE ELSE GETS to include the children of military retirees. Unless you are exclusively calling the children of military retirees "drug addicts" then you are not making sense. I can understand not wanting to have any children covered, but the law AS IT STANDS excludes the children of military retirees. This corrects that and makes them equal under the law to the children of civilian parents. What's wrong with that?

[GailA]

Gates Goes after Military Health Care
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/gates-goes-after-military-health-care

Officials explain proposed health plan increase, costs (DOD - TRICARE)
http://www.retirees.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123237358

DoD Budget 2012: Pay and TRICARE
http://militaryadvantage.military.com/2011/01/tricare-fee-outlook-for-2012/?wh=wh

The Sec­re­tary of Defense, Robert Gates, is mak­ing the rounds talk­ing about his pro­posed FY2012 bud­get. Although cur­rently light on details, the news seems good for mil­i­tary pay and ben­e­fits, but, not-so-good for mil­i­tary retirees who rely on TRICARE.

Mil­i­tary Pay and Ben­e­fits — Defense Sec­re­tary Gates plans to cut troops in order to cut costs. The troop level cuts are not to start until 2015, but this does reflect Gates’ ear­lier state­ments about look­ing at cut­ting troops before cut­ting pay and ben­e­fits.

TRICARE – On the other hand, Sec. Gates has stated that he is seek­ing changes to the military’s TRICARE med­ical pro­gram, not­ing that fees have not risen since the pro­gram replaced CHAMPUS in 1995. He said he is propos­ing mod­est increases to fees for working-age mil­i­tary

[GailA]

You just know those of us over 65 forced onto Medicare and on Tricare for Life will be next to feel the pinch of higher cost to cover this.

0 has it in for the Military.

OLDIE:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/2423787/posts

TRICARE, the insurance company through which our military members receive benefits, is slated to increase premiums on the dental plans for 1.9 million members of all branches of our armed forces. The increase is going to take effect on February 1.

From military.com:

The monthly premium for an active duty family member single plan will increase from $12.12 to $12.69 and the monthly family plan premium will increase from $30.29 to $31.72. The National Guard and Reserve monthly sponsor premium will increase from $12.12 to $12.69. The monthly single premium rate for an Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) sponsor plan and the separate IRR single family member plan will increase from $30.29 to $31.72.

One definitely has to ask about the timing of all of this. Legitimate questions have been raised about how Obamacare is going to be paid for, and it appears that this is going to be the start. If ANYONE deserves to have free, outstanding healthcare for life, it is our veterans who served and continue to serve honorably.

(Excerpt) Read more at therightstuffbng.blogspot.com ... http://therightstuffbng.blogspot.com/2010/01/breaking-covering-obamacare-cost.html

[Eagle Eye]

It is like having a kid on your car insurance who doens’t pay premiums or the deductibles.

So I am supposed to stay personally responsible for adults who may or may not pay their own costs on my insurance policy?

Fortunately I was able to head this off on enrollment this year since my under 26 years olds do not live with me and are not eligible for the health plan as it is.

[Understand the stimulus]

i’m ex military and i understand your issue...the problem is OBAMACARE not the military..the whole law is about DESTROYING medical insurance not the military...by adding druggies to 26 exposes all of us to obscene expenses...let those that are addicted GET their own insurance...or go to mexico for treatment...we hope obamacare will be repealled ...that was the point i was making not connectiveity

[gatormom86]

First I do not agree that we should HAVE to be responsible for our “kids” until 26—however, my kids will be fined if they don’t have health ins. But has anyone ever thought about these MILITARY BRATS-—the Medicaid KIDS can get free coverage having done nothing for our country but bleed it dry. our military Brats - have gone Christmas’, birthday, major life events with a parent gone serving this country. I have 3 brats in college - no financial assistance except what my BRATS EARNED as academic scholarships-—and I am proud of what they are accomplishing. M Brats are usually not finished with college at 23 since most have been held back, transferred to different schools mid year and other circumstances due to the good of the military. I called Humana this week because 2 of my kids are kicked out of Tricare (one is a SR but will turn 23 before she graduates and one just turned 21-but is only taking 10 credit hours while working full time and not considered Full time) and the premium for the 2 girls is over 8000.00 for TRICARE STANDARD. That is 1/2 my husbands retirement. I am going to have to change jobs where I can help my BRATS with insurance for the next 2 years, not because they play Xbox (we can’t afford one) but because my BRATS are good students that have sacrificed more than any MEDICAID BRAT will ever realize for them.