[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 52 (Wednesday, April 14, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2297-S2298]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. UDALL of Colorado (for himself, Mr. Begich, Mrs. 
        McCaskill, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Warner, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, 
        Mr. Bennet, Mr. Leahy, Ms. Mikulski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Kerry, 
        Mr. Bayh, Ms. Klobuchar, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Casey, Mr. Menendez, 
        Mr. Cardin, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. 
        Whitehouse, and Mr. Durbin):
  S. 3201. A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to extend 
TRICARE coverage to certain dependents under the age of 26; to the 
Committee on Armed Services.
  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. President, I rise to speak about health 
insurance reform. I wanted to remind all of us that last month we 
successfully passed health insurance reform, upon which I think we will 
have a very strong foundation to build, improve, and strengthen access 
to health care all across America.
  Throughout the long and critically important debate on how best to 
fix our system, I came to the floor on many occasions, as did the 
Presiding Officer and a lot of my freshman Senators, to discuss the 
need for reform. I believe the bill that President Obama signed into 
law will help struggling Colorado families and hopefully our struggling 
economy as well.
  So I think you and I agree there is a lot of work left to be done, 
and no bill of this magnitude and importance is perfect. To implement 
this new law is a major undertaking that will require us in the 
Congress to revisit and improve upon what we have already done.

[[Page S2298]]

  In that spirit, I come to the Senate floor to introduce a bill that I 
believe is a great way to start making those improvements. I thank 
Senators Begich and McCaskill for working with me to develop a bill, 
and Senator Mikulski for her hard work and energy and support as well.
  Our legislation is entitled ``The TRICARE Dependent Coverage 
Extension Act.'' It would help fulfill this important goal of the 
health insurance reform that the Presiding Officer and I support; that 
is, giving young adults the opportunity to remain on their parents' 
health care plan until the age of 26.
  Young adults across our country are struggling to enter the job 
market as we get our economy back on track, and this legislation will 
ensure that the families of our military servicemembers are not left 
behind when this benefit goes into effect later this year for millions 
of civilian families and their children.
  Currently, the TRICARE Program, which provides health insurance for 
military servicemembers, retirees, and their families, covers children 
up to the age of 21, or in some cases up to the age of 23 if they are 
full-time college students.
  The TRICARE Dependent Coverage Extension Act will give young adults 
of these military families who have not been able to find health care 
insurance through an employer the opportunity to pay a reasonable 
premium and remain covered until their 26th birthday on their parents' 
plan.
  Health reform, I think we agree, is meant to ensure that all 
Americans have access to affordable health care coverage. I cannot 
think of any of our countrymen more deserving of the peace of mind 
envisioned by this new law than members of our Armed Forces and their 
families.
  They, in countries all over the world, make tremendous sacrifices 
every day for our Nation. I think it is over 60 different countries 
that we have servicemembers serving around the world. They deserve 
benefits that will keep them healthy and secure.
  In addition to the three Senators I mentioned, Begich, McCaskill, and 
Mikulski, there are 19 of our Democratic colleagues who have also 
joined in supporting this legislation. I think this outpouring of 
support on short notice is indicative of how beneficial the bill will 
be for the families of our armed servicemembers.
  Now, we have had our disagreements with the other side of the aisle 
on how best to reform our health care system as a whole. But I think 
there are certain areas of common interest we can still find and come 
together on to improve the lives of the people we are here to serve. I 
think this is one of those instances, and I want to offer my hand to 
our Republican friends and hope they will join a group of us in 
cosponsoring this important piece of legislation.
  I sit on the Armed Services Committee in the Senate, and I served on 
the Armed Services Committee in the House. I would like to think I 
learned how to spot a good deal for our Nation's soldiers and their 
families, and this is a good deal.
  Again, I would encourage all 100 Senators to consider joining us in 
this important, straightforward, cost-efficient idea that I am 
presenting today.

                          ____________________