WASHINGTON, D.C. (WFRV) – United States Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) announced on Thursday in a press release that she introduced legislation that would provide health insurance for all members of the National Guard and Reserve.
According to a release from Sen. Baldwin’s office, the legislation, the Healthcare for Our Troops Act, would provide premium-free medical insurance coverage for all National Guard and Reserve members.
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The release added that about 16% of the Reserve and National Guard’s members, which is roughly 130,000 volunteer servicemembers, don’t have private health insurance.
“Our service members in the National Guard and Reserve serve and sacrifice for their nation every day – and just like the brave men and women in every other service branch, they deserve and have earned high-quality, affordable health care,” Sen. Baldwin said in the release.
It would provide zero cost-sharing coverage for selected members eligible for TRICARE Reserve Select, addressing financial barriers to mental health care.
Sen. Baldwin says the bill wouldn’t just give benefits to troops who already deserve it, but it invest in readiness to ensure they get the care they need to be healthy.
The legislation would also provide servicemembers with the option to complete annual medical readiness through a preferred provider, which could give commanders valuable training days back and save over $162 million annually.
It could also incentivize employers to hire servicemembers by lessening the demand for employer-sponsored healthcare plans, according to Sen. Baldwin.
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According to a summary of the bill, the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, General Hokanson, listed healthcare access as the most pressing concern in his tenure, thus, becoming part of the reason for the bill.
That summary can be viewed in the file below.
The full bill text can be viewed and downloaded by clicking here.
Sen. Baldwin also introduced a similar bill a few years ago in a bipartisan effort with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).
