Defense Act to increase age cutoff for dependent benefits Published Feb. 4, 2011 FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- The signing of the National Defense Authorization Act of fiscal year 2011 into law enables TRICARE to extend coverage to eligible adult children up to age 26. A premium-based TRICARE Young Adult program is expected to be in place later this spring. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 required civilian health plans to offer coverage to adult children until age 26. TRICARE previously met or exceeded key tenets of national health reform, including restrictions on annual limits, lifetime maximums, "high user" cancellations or denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions - but did not include this expanded coverage for adult children. Dependent eligibility for TRICARE previously ended at age 21 or age 23 for full-time college students. The fiscal year 2011 NDAA now gives the Department of Defense the authority to offer similar benefits to young adults under TRICARE. The law was signed by the president on Jan. 7, but full details of the TRICARE Young Adult program will not be in place until later this spring, according to TRICARE officials. "We've been working hard to make sure we could put TRICARE Young Adult on a fast track," said TRICARE Deputy Director Rear. Adm. Christine Hunter. "Fortunately for our beneficiaries concerned about health care coverage for their adult children, the law signed by the President includes opportunities for military families to elect this new premium-based plan retroactive to Jan. 1." Beginning later this spring, qualified, unmarried dependents up to age 26 will be able to purchase TRICARE coverage on a month-to-month basis - as long as they are not eligible for their own employer-sponsored health coverage. Premium costs are not yet finalized, but the NDAA specifies that rates must cover the full cost of the program. "This program has the potential to extend TRICARE coverage to several hundred thousand additional beneficiaries," said Admiral Hunter. "The premium allows us to provide this excellent benefit to our military families while responsibly addressing the impact of health care costs on the DoD budget." Initially, the benefit offered will be a premium-based TRICARE Standard benefit. Eligible family members who receive health care between now and the date the program is fully implemented may want to purchase TYA retroactively and should save their receipts. Premiums will have to be paid back to Jan. 1, 2011, in order to obtain reimbursement. As details are being finalized to offer the TRICARE Young Adult Standard option, the TRICARE Management Activity will also begin work on the required policy and contract changes to offer a TRICARE Prime option later in 2011. While it is too soon to provide specifics, eligible family members using the TRICARE Young Adult Standard program may be able to change to TRICARE Prime later in the year if it meets their needs more fully. The TRICARE Young Adult Prime option will also carry a separate premium. Stay up to date about the TRICARE Young Adult program by signing up for e-mail benefit and news updates from TRICARE.To subscribe, TRICARE beneficiaries can visit www.tricare.mil/subscriptions and look for "TRICARE Young Adult" under benefit changes. Adults who are no longer eligible for TRICARE, but need health insurance coverage, may wish to explore the Continued Health Care Benefit Program. CHCBP is a premium-based program that offers temporary transitional health coverage for 18-36 months. Coverage must be purchased within 60 days of loss of TRICARE eligibility. For more on CHCBP, go to www.tricare.mil/CHCBP.