The Mississippi House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that would reimburse eligible National Guard members for the cost of individual health and dental insurance premiums.
HB 1085, authored by House Military Affairs Committee Chair Bubba Carpenter, R-Burnsville, passed 121–0 and would establish the Mississippi National Guard TRICARE Premium Reimbursement Program, which would cover premiums for TRICARE Reserve Select and the TRICARE Dental Program, the health and dental insurance programs for U.S. military members and their families.
The only qualifiers for National Guard members to receive reimbursements through the program are that they are actively drilling, eligible for TRICARE Reserve Select coverage, and not obtaining health insurance from another employer. The adjutant general of the Mississippi National Guard would be responsible for administering the program, with funding based on future legislative appropriations.
Rep. Rodney Hall, R-Southaven, is an active National Guard member and vice chair of the House Military Affairs Committee. He said before the vote the legislation is more important now than ever, with members recently deployed to help combat crime in Washington, D.C. and respond to the recent winter storm that devastated parts of north Mississippi and the Delta.
“This gives them health care coverage in order to ensure they remain ready, remain fit, and prepared for duty,” Hall said on Mornings with Richard Cross. “This is a big win. I don’t think people understand how much our National Guard is called upon not just overseas but also domestically and the kinds of risks that they have to put themselves out for without adequate health care, which ends up forcing them out of the military.”
HB 1085 is also intended to help in the recruitment of National Guard members, per its text. It now heads to the Senate, where a similar bill passed unanimously on Jan. 12.