TRICARE Offers Young Adult Coverage

TRICARE, the Defense Department-sponsored managed health-care plan for members of the armed services, will soon offer coverage for eligible family members until they reach age 26. The extension of premium-based coverage for unmarried children of service members was implemented in an effort to comply with provisions of the national health care coverage bill Congress passed and President Obama signed last year. Relevant specific changes to TRICARE coverage were contained in the 2011 defense bill. Previously, coverage for dependent children ended at age 21, or at 23 for those still in college. Coverage will begin sometime this spring. Unmarried beneficiaries covered by TRICARE Standard will be the first to elect month-to-month coverage under the TRICARE Young Adult Program, providing they do not qualify for employer-provided health care coverage. More information is available online at http://www.tricare.mil/.