A bill is heading to the desk of Gov. Tate Reeves to reimburse Mississippi National Guard members for costs associated with their health care premiums.
Senate Bill 2018, which was unanimously passed by its originating chamber in January before getting a unanimous consensus in the House last week, was sent to Reeves on Tuesday. If signed into law, it would establish the “Mississippi National Guard TRICARE Premium Reimbursement Program,” which is designed to help National Guard members pay for their premiums associated with TRICARE, the U.S. military’s health program.
“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, said when presenting it on the Senate floor.
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.
Active guardsman Rep. Rodney Hall, R-Southaven, helped lead a similar charge in his chamber before he and his colleagues ultimately went with the Senate version. According to him, the program should pave the way for National Guard members to serve longer.
“I don’t think people understand how much our National Guard is called upon – not just overseas but also domestically – and the kind of risks that they have to put themselves out for without adequate healthcare, which ends up forcing them to be put out of the military,” Hall said. “This is absolutely critical.”
Reeves has until March 16 to sign the bill.