I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2332
To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for expanded eligibility
for participation by members of the Selected Reserve and their depend-
ents in the TRICARE program.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 27, 2001
Mr. ANDREWS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Armed Services
A BILL
To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for ex-
panded eligibility for participation by members of the
Selected Reserve and their dependents in the TRICARE
program.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve
of the Armed Forces is the element of the Armed
Forces of the United States that has the capability
quickly to augment the active duty forces of the
Armed Forces successfully in times of crisis.
(2) The Selected Reserve has been assigned in-
creasingly critical levels of responsibility for carrying
out the worldwide military missions of the Armed
Forces since the end of the Cold War.
(3) Members of the Selected Reserve have
served proudly as mobilized forces in numerous thea-
ters from Europe to the Pacific and South America,
indeed, around the world.
(4) The active duty forces of the Armed Forces
cannot successfully perform all of the national secu-
rity missions of the Armed Forces without aug-
mentation by the Selected Reserve.
(5) The high and increasing tempo of activity
of the Selected Reserve causes turbulence in the re-
lationships of members of the Selected Reserve with
their families, employers, and reserve units.
(6) The turbulence often results from lengthy,
sometimes year-long, absences of the members of the
Selected Reserve from their families and their civil-
ian jobs in the performance of military duties nec-
essary for the execution of essential missions.
(7) Family turbulence includes the difficulties
associated with vacillation between coverage of mem-
bers’ families for health care under civilian health
benefits plans and coverage under the military
health benefits options.
(8) Up to 200,000 members of the Selected Re-
serve, including, in particular, self-employed mem-
bers, do not have adequate health benefits.
SEC. 2. PARTICIPATION BY MEMBERS OF THE SELECTED
RESERVE AND THEIR DEPENDENTS IN THE
TRICARE PROGRAM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 55 of title 10, United
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1076a
the following new section:
‘‘§ 1076b. TRICARE program: participation by mem-
bers of the Selected Reserve and their de-
pendents
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) A member of the Selected
Reserve shall be eligible to receive health care under
TRICARE Standard. Such a member shall be required to
pay 40 percent of the premiums associated with participa-
tion in TRICARE Standard, and the Government shall be
required to pay 60 percent of such premiums.
‘‘(2) Participation of a member of the Selected Re-
serve in TRICARE Standard shall not effect the enroll-
ment of such member in TRICARE Prime if such member
is called to active duty.
‘‘(b) DEPENDENTS.—(1) A dependent of a member
of the Selected Reserve shall be eligible to receive health
care under TRICARE Standard. Such a member shall be
required to pay 40 percent of the premiums associated
with participation by the dependent in TRICARE Stand-
ard, and the Government shall be required to pay 60 per-
cent of such premiums.
‘‘(2) Participation of a dependent of a member of the
Selected Reserve in TRICARE Standard shall not effect
the enrollment of such dependent in TRICARE Prime if
such member is called to active duty.
‘‘(c) PERIOD
FOR ELECTION TO PARTICIPATE.—
Each year the Secretary of Defense shall specify a period
for election to participate in TRICARE Standard under
subsections (a) and (b). The duration of the annual period
may be any period of 90 or more days specified by the
Secretary.
‘‘(d) TERMINATION OF PARTICIPATION.—(1) If the
status of a person as a member of the Selected Reserve
terminates, the participation of that person, or a depend-
ent of such person, in TRICARE Standard by reason of
eligibility under this section terminates on the effective
date of that termination of status.
‘‘(2) No portion of a premium paid for participation
in TRICARE Standard under subsection (a) or (b) shall
be refunded to a person whose participation in TRICARE
Standard is terminated under paragraph (1).
‘‘(e) FUTURE APPLICABILITY
OF PREMIUMS AL-
READY
PAID.—Premiums paid for participation in
TRICARE Standard under this section for a period dur-
ing which a member or dependent is enrolled in TRICARE
Prime as a result of the member being called to active
duty shall be applied to a period during which the member
or dependent is no longer enrolled in TRICARE Prime.
‘‘(f) SELECTED RESERVE.—In this section, the term
‘Selected Reserve’ has the meaning of that term as used
in section 10143 of this title.’’.
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions at the beginning of such chapter is amended by in-
serting after the item relating to section 1076a the fol-
lowing new item:
‘‘1076b. TRICARE program: participation by members of the Selected Reserve
and their dependents.’’.
Æ