[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4396 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4396
To require the Secretary of Defense to conduct a study on providing
benefits under TRICARE Reserve Select and the TRICARE dental program to
members of the Selected Reserve and their dependents.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 14, 2022
Ms. Duckworth introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Defense to conduct a study on providing
benefits under TRICARE Reserve Select and the TRICARE dental program to
members of the Selected Reserve and their dependents.
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 ``Access to Healthcare for Reservists
Act''.
SEC. 2. STUDY ON PROVIDING BENEFITS UNDER TRICARE RESERVE SELECT AND
TRICARE DENTAL PROGRAM TO MEMBERS OF THE SELECTED RESERVE
AND THEIR DEPENDENTS.
(a) Study.--The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a study on the
feasibility, potential cost effects to the budget of the Department of
Defense, changes in out-of-pocket costs to beneficiaries, and effects
on other Federal programs of expanding eligibility for TRICARE Reserve
Select and the TRICARE dental program to include all members of the
Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve of a reserve component of the
Armed Forces, their dependents, and their non-dependent children under
the age of 26.
(b) Specifications.--In conducting the study under subsection (a),
the Secretary shall include an assessment of the following:
(1) Cost-shifting to the Department of Defense to support
the expansion of TRICARE Reserve Select and the TRICARE dental
program from--
(A) health benefit plans under chapter 89 of title
5, United States Code;
(B) employer-sponsored health insurance;
(C) private health insurance;
(D) insurance under a State health care exchange;
and
(E) the Medicaid program under title XIX of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.).
(2) New costs for the Department of Defense to enroll in
TRICARE Reserve Select and the TRICARE dental program members
of the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve of a reserve
component of the Armed Forces who were previously uninsured.
(3) The resources needed to implement TRICARE Reserve
Select and the TRICARE dental program for all such members,
their dependents, and their non-dependent children under the
age of 26.
(4) Anticipated cost-savings or cost-avoidance of the
expansion of TRICARE Reserve Select and the TRICARE dental
program with regard to increased training days performed in
support of mass medical events during battle assemblies of the
reserve components, including an assessment of the impact of
such expansion on--
(A) medical readiness;
(B) overall deployability rates;
(C) deployability timelines;
(D) fallout rates at mobilization sites;
(E) cross-leveling of members of the reserve
components to backfill medical fallouts at mobilization
sites; and
(F) any other readiness metrics affected by such
expansion.
(5) Any impact of such expansion on recruitment and
retention of members of the Ready Reserve of the reserve
components of the Armed Forces.
(6) Any changes to out-of-pocket costs for such members and
their dependents resulting from such expansion.
(7) Anticipated cost-savings or cost-avoidance in contracts
that implement the Reserve Health Readiness Program of the
Department of Defense.
(c) Determination of Cost Effects.--In studying the potential cost
effects to the budget of the Department of Defense under subsection
(a), the Secretary of Defense shall study the cost effects for the
following scenarios of expanded eligibility for TRICARE Reserve Select
and the TRICARE dental program:
(1) Premium free for members of the Selected Reserve of the
Ready Reserve of a reserve component of the Armed Forces, their
dependents, and their non-dependent children under the age of
26.
(2) Premium free for such members and subsidized premiums
for such dependents and non-dependent children.
(3) Subsidized premiums for such members, dependents, and
non-dependent children.
(d) Use of a Federally Funded Research and Development Center.--The
Secretary shall contract with a federally funded research and
development center that is qualified and appropriate to conduct the
study required under subsection (a).
(e) Briefing; Report.--
(1) Briefing.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall provide to the
Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on
Armed Services of the House of Representatives a briefing on
the methodology and approach of the study required under
subsection (a).
(2) Report.--Not later than two years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the
Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on
Armed Services of the House of Representatives a report on the
results of the study required under subsection (a).
(f) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) TRICARE dental program.--The term ``TRICARE dental
program'' means dental benefits under section 1076a of title
10, United States Code.
(2) TRICARE reserve select.--The term ``TRICARE Reserve
Select'' means health benefits under section 1076d of such
title.
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