The Mississippi Senate unanimously passed a bill on Monday to reimburse the state’s National Guard members for costs associated with their health care premiums.
“It’s a simple bill. What this is going to do is it’s a bill that allows our traditional guardsmen to be reimbursed for their health care,” the bill’s author, Sen. Jeff Tate, R-Meridian, told the chamber before his colleagues quickly moved forward with passage.
SB 2018, which now heads to the House for consideration, would establish what’s called the “Mississippi National Guard TRICARE Premium Reimbursement Program.” The program is designed to help National Guard members pay for their premiums associated with TRICARE, the U.S. military’s health program.
The only qualifiers for National Guard members to receive reimbursements are that they are actively drilling and not obtaining health insurance from another employer. The adjutant general of the Mississippi National Guard will be responsible for administering the program, with funding based on future legislative appropriations.
According to the bill’s text, the goal of the bill is not only to help National Guard members with health care costs but “retain qualified personnel in the Mississippi National Guard.”