Saugerties – Two local lawmakers and a former congressman joined forces on Saturday to voice their support. Medical Equity Act for Military Families.
It’s the latest attempt to fix what former Hudson Valley Congressman Chris Gibson called a loophole and allow all children of active duty and veterans to have parental health insurance through age 26.
Rep. Pat Ryan (D-18) introduced the bill to this Congress. It was handed over to him by Virginia Democrat Elaine Luria, who did not return to Congress this year.
Under current law, active duty military and veteran dependents who receive health insurance under the Uniform Services Program known as TRICARE cannot have adult children until the age of 21 or, under certain exceptions, the age of 23. You can enroll in parental insurance only up to they are still in college.
Private insurance plans allow children to remain covered by their parent’s health insurance until they turn 26.
The HFMFA will correct that injustice and save military families and adult children themselves from spending extra money on private insurance policies.
“This is very easy,” said Ryan.
One of the first messages of support he received was from Republican Gibson, who from 2011 to 2017 represented a constituency stretching from Dutchess County to Southern Tier. Gibson recalled fighting for a similar bill in 2014 and 2015.
Ryan said the bill already has strong bipartisan support, with 66 members of Congress on both sides supporting it. Among them was Republican colleague Mark Molinaro of the adjacent New York 19th congressional district, who joined Ryan at Saturday’s press conference at the Cedar Grove Fire Station.
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Ryan and Molinaro say they have strong support for the bill, but it’s hard to say whether that alone will be enough to get the bill passed.
If the act doesn’t get enough support to pass as a stand-alone measure, it may try an alternative approach of attaching it to the National Defense Authorization Act, which Congress must pass each year, Ryan said. Stated.
“If we can strengthen this as a must-pass bill, we will,” Molinaro said.
Mike Randall covers breaking news for The Times-Herald Record, The Poughkeepsie Journal, and Journal News/lohud. Please contact [email protected] or Twitter @mikerandall845..
