Healthcare for Our Troops Act
Bill: H.R.3512 | Sponsor: Rep. Kim, Andy (D-NJ)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Healthcare for Our Troops Act
This bill addresses TRICARE Reserve Select coverage and eligibility for Selected Reserve members of the Ready Reserve and their families. Among other elements, the bill provides eligibility for TRICARE Reserve Select to Selected Reserve members of the Ready Reserve who are eligible for or enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.

To amend title 10, United States Code, to eliminate certain health care 
   charges for members of the Selected Reserve eligible for TRICARE 
                Reserve Select, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Healthcare for Our Troops Act''.

SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF CERTAIN HEALTH CARE CHARGES FOR MEMBERS OF THE 
              SELECTED RESERVE.

    (a) TRICARE Reserve Select.--Section 1076d of title 10, United 
States Code, is amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 1076d. TRICARE program: TRICARE Reserve Select coverage for 
              members of the Selected Reserve
    ``(a) Members of Selected Reserve.--(1) A member of the Selected 
Reserve of the Ready Reserve of a reserve component of the armed forces 
is eligible for health benefits under TRICARE Reserve Select as 
provided in this section.
    ``(2) Eligibility for TRICARE Reserve Select coverage of a member 
under this section shall terminate upon the termination of the member's 
service in the Selected Reserve.
    ``(b) TRICARE Reserve Select Family Coverage.--While a member of a 
reserve component is covered by TRICARE Reserve Select under subsection 
(a), the members of the immediate family of such member are eligible 
for TRICARE Reserve Select coverage as dependents of the member. If a 
member of a reserve component dies while in a period of coverage under 
this section, the eligibility of the members of the immediate family of 
such member for TRICARE Reserve Select coverage shall continue for six 
months beyond the date of death of the member.
    ``(c) No Premiums for Individual Coverage.--A member of a reserve 
component covered by TRICARE Reserve Select individual coverage shall 
pay no premium for such coverage.
    ``(d) Premiums for Family Coverage.--(1) A member of a reserve 
component covered by TRICARE Reserve Select under this section shall 
pay a premium for any member of the immediate family of such member 
covered under TRICARE Reserve Select family coverage. Such premium 
shall apply instead of any enrollment fees required under section 1075 
of this title.
    ``(2) The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe for the purposes of 
this section one premium for TRICARE Reserve Select family coverage of 
immediate family members of members of the reserve components, that 
shall apply uniformly to all such immediate family members.
    ``(3)(A) The monthly amount of the premium in effect for a month 
for TRICARE Reserve Select family coverage under this section shall be 
the amount equal to 28 percent of the total monthly amount determined 
on an appropriate actuarial basis as being reasonable for that 
coverage.
    ``(B) The appropriate actuarial basis for purposes of subparagraph 
(A) shall be determined, for each calendar year after calendar year 
2009, by utilizing the actual cost of providing benefits under this 
section to members' dependents during the calendar years preceding such 
calendar year.
    ``(4) The premiums for TRICARE Reserve Select family coverage 
payable by a member of a reserve component under this subsection may be 
deducted and withheld from basic pay payable to the member under 
section 204 of title 37 or from compensation payable to the member 
under section 206 of such title. The Secretary shall prescribe the 
requirements and procedures applicable to the payment of premiums.
    ``(5) Amounts collected as premiums under this subsection shall be 
credited to the appropriation available for the Defense Health Program 
Account under section 1100 of this title, shall be merged with sums in 
such Account that are available for the fiscal year in which collected, 
and shall be available under subsection (b) of such section for such 
fiscal year.
    ``(e) Cost-Sharing Amounts.--
            ``(1) Network individual coverage.--Except as provided in 
        paragraph (2), a beneficiary covered by TRICARE Reserve Select 
        individual coverage shall pay no charge for any health care 
        service to which the beneficiary is entitled pursuant to such 
        coverage.
            ``(2) Out-of-network individual coverage.--With respect to 
        out-of-network health care services, a beneficiary covered by 
        TRICARE Reserve Select individual coverage shall be subject to 
        the same out-of-network cost-sharing requirements as those to 
        which beneficiaries described in section 1075(c)(1) of this 
        title in the active-duty family member category are subject to 
        for the corresponding year.
            ``(3) Family coverage.--A beneficiary covered by TRICARE 
        Reserve Select family coverage shall be subject to the same 
        cost-sharing requirements as those to which beneficiaries 
        described in section 1075(c)(1) of this title in the active-
        duty family member category are subject to for the 
        corresponding year.
    ``(f) Regulations.--The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with 
the other administering Secretaries, shall prescribe regulations for 
the administration of this section.
    ``(g) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The terms `active-duty family member category', 
        `network', and `out-of-network' have the meanings given such 
        terms in section 1075(h) of this title.
            ``(2) The term `immediate family', with respect to a member 
        of a reserve component, means all of the member's dependents 
        described in subparagraphs (A), (D), and (I) of section 1072(2) 
        of this title.
            ``(3) The term `TRICARE Reserve Select' means--
                    ``(A) medical care at facilities of the uniformed 
                services to which a dependent described in section 
                1076(a)(2) of this title is entitled; and
                    ``(B) health benefits under the TRICARE Select 
                self-managed, preferred provider network option under 
                section 1075 of this title made available to 
                beneficiaries by reason of this section and subject to 
                the cost-sharing requirements set forth in paragraph 
                (e) of this section.
            ``(4) The term `TRICARE Reserve Select family coverage' 
        means the coverage under TRICARE Reserve Select of any members 
        of the immediate family of a member of the reserve component, 
        as described in subsection (b).
            ``(5) The term `TRICARE Reserve Select individual coverage' 
        means the coverage under TRICARE Reserve Select of a member of 
        the reserve component, as described in subsection (a).''.
    (b) TRICARE Dental for Selected Reserve.--Section 1076a of title 
10, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) in the header, by striking ``selected 
                        reserve and''; and
                            (ii) by striking the second sentence; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                paragraph:
            ``(5) Plan for selected reserve.--A dental benefits plan 
        for members of the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve.'';
            (2) in subsection (d)--
                    (A) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph 
                (4); and
                    (B) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following 
                new paragraph:
            ``(3) No premium plans.--(A) The dental insurance plan 
        established under subsection (a)(5) is a no premium plan.
            ``(B) Members enrolled in a no premium plan may not be 
        charged a premium for benefits provided under the plan.'';
            (3) in subsection (e)(2)(A), by striking ``a member of the 
        Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve or'';
            (4) by redesignating subsections (f) through (k) as 
        subsections (g) through (l), respectively;
            (5) by inserting after subsection (e) the following new 
        subsection (f):
    ``(f) Copayments Under No Premium Plans.--A member who receives 
dental care under a no premium plan referred to in subsection (d)(3) 
shall pay no charge for any care described in subsection (c).''; and
            (6) in subsection (i), as redesignated by paragraph (4), by 
        striking ``subsection (k)(2)'' and inserting ``subsection 
        (l)(2)''.
    (c) Improvements to Coverage for Certain Retirees.--
            (1) Adjustment of eligibility.--Section 1074(b)(2) of title 
        10, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
    ``(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply to a member or former member 
entitled to retired pay for non-regular service under chapter 1223 of 
this title who is under 60 years of age unless such member or former 
member is in receipt of such pay (or would be in receipt of such pay 
but for section 5304 or 5305 of title 38).''.
            (2) TRICARE retired reserve.--Section 1076e(a)(1) of title 
        10, United States Code, is amended by striking ``but is not age 
        60'' and inserting ``but is not age 60 and is not in receipt of 
        such retired pay (or would be in receipt of such pay but for 
        section 5304 or 5305 of title 38)''.
    (d) Conforming Amendments to TRICARE Select.--Section 1075 of title 
10, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by amending subsection (c)(3) to read as follows:
            ``(3) With respect to beneficiaries in the reserve and 
        young adult category--
                    ``(A) for beneficiaries covered by section 1076e or 
                1110b of this title, the cost-sharing requirements 
                shall be calculated pursuant to subsection (d)(1) as if 
                the beneficiary were in the active-duty family member 
                category or the retired category, as applicable, except 
                that the premiums calculated pursuant to section 1076e 
                or 1110b of this title shall apply instead of any 
                enrollment fee required under this section; and
                    ``(B) for beneficiaries covered by section 1076d of 
                this title, the cost-sharing requirements shall be 
                calculated pursuant to section (e) of such section.''.
    (e) Applicability.--This section shall apply with respect to the 
provision of health care under the TRICARE program beginning on the 
date that is one year after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. FORMS AND STUDY RELATING TO IMPROVED COVERAGE FOR MEMBERS OF 
              THE SELECTED RESERVE.

    (a) Forms.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall develop forms to be used by 
civilian health care providers under the purchased care component of 
the TRICARE Program for medical and dental care for members of the 
Selected Reserve eligible for TRICARE Reserve Select. Such forms shall 
include opportunities for the health care provider to indicate, with 
respect to the member, the following information:
            (1) Medical Readiness Classification.
            (2) Dental Readiness Classification.
            (3) Fitness for deployment.
            (4) Any other information the Secretary determines 
        necessary.
    (b) Study.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a 
        study on--
                    (A) the phasing out of mass medical events and 
                periodic health assessments for members of the Selected 
                Reserve eligible for TRICARE Reserve Select; and
                    (B) the replacement of such events and processes 
                with the new TRICARE Reserve Select coverage model 
                under section 1076d of title 10, United States Code (as 
                amended by section 1), and the use of forms by civilian 
                health care providers as specified in subsection (a).
            (2) Findings.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 
        Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives 
        and the Senate a report containing the findings of the study 
        under paragraph (1).
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