Bill would give guardsmen more health care access

Suzanne Struglinski

Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2005 | 9:45 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Members of the National Guard and military Reserves and their families would have access to a portion of the military health care system, known as Tri-Care, under a bill introduced in the Senate.

There are roughly 4,000 guardsman and reservists in Nevada that could benefit from the change. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is co-sponsoring a bill to extend the benefit. The government originally designed the benefit only for full-time enlisted personnel and officers because it expected National Guard and Reserve members to get medical benefits through their full-time jobs.

But now with half the forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan coming from Guard or Reserve units, the bill, authored by Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., changes the criteria. About 40 percent for Guard and Reserve members do not have any health care coverage, according to Reid's office.

Reid noted that by March 70 percent of the Nevada National Guard members will be deployed. There are about 3,100 Air and Army National Guardsman in Nevada. About 500 Nevada Army National Guard members from the 221st Calvary in Southern Nevada are working at Fort Irwin in California training soldiers preparing to go to Iraq.

"It's true that service in the Guard and Reserve is a part-time obligation, but it's not like any other part-time job," Reid said in a statement. "When the Guard and Reserves call, members must put their duty above everything else. That means taking time off from their regular jobs and leaving their families for long periods of time. We expect great sacrifices from out Guard and Reserve members, and the least we can do is make sure they and their families will get decent medical care."

The bill would also change the Guard and Reserve retirement age so members could get retired pay and health benefits at 55 years old instead of age 60.