Defense News

Lawmakers push to eliminate TRICARE premiums for dependents under 26

“If civilians can keep their family members on their coverage until 26, it’s wrong that military family members are treated differently," Sen. Murkowski said.

Anastasia Obis

July 29, 2025 6:26 pm

3 min read

A bipartisan group of congressional lawmakers wants to bring TRICARE in line with most civilian health insurance plans by allowing military dependents to remain on their parents’ coverage until age 26 without paying additional premiums.

The legislation, dubbed the “Health Care Fairness for Military Families Act,” aims to align TRICARE eligibility with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which requires most civilian insurance plans to cover dependents until they turn 26 at no extra cost. The bill has bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate.

Under current TRICARE rules, dependents are only covered until age 21, or 23 if they are full-time students who receive more than half of their financial support from their parents. After that, military families have the option to enroll their children in the TRICARE Young Adult program, which can cost anywhere from $337 to $727 per month.

Nearly 33,000 families are currently paying those monthly premiums, according to Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), one of the bill’s sponsors.

“If civilians can keep their family members on their healthcare coverage until age 26, it’s just wrong that military family members are treated differently. This common-sense fix will raise the age limit, allowing military dependents to stay on their parent’s insurance plan until 26, the same age as civilians, without a premium increase,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), the bill’s co-sponsor, said in a statement.

According to Kelly, this legislation could save an estimated 350,000 military families approximately $8,724 per year in healthcare costs.

Since TRICARE is a federal healthcare program, it was exempt from parts of the Affordable Care Act, including the rule requiring coverage for dependents until age 26 at no additional cost.

To close that gap, Congress created the TRICARE Young Adult program in 2011, allowing military families to continue covering their adult children up to age 26 but specified that the program had to cover its own costs, requiring families to pay monthly premiums based on commercial insurance rates and coverage.

TRICARE Young Adult costs have skyrocketed over the last decade. In 2015, the monthly premium was $208. By 2020, it had climbed to $376 — an 81% increase in just five years. TYA prime now costs $727 per month per each dependent, representing a 250% increase since 2015.

“Military families who rely on TRICARE for health care coverage should be treated the same as their civilian counterparts. By providing coverage for military dependents until age 26, the Health Care Fairness for Military Families Act will lower healthcare costs for military families and establish equity between TRICARE and private plans,” Rye Barcott, co-founder and CEO of With Honor, said in a statement.

The bill was previously introduced in both 2021 and 2023. In 2021, the Congressional Budget Office estimated the legislation would cost about $125 million annually.

The bill now has more than 35 bipartisan co-sponsors in the House and is backed by more than 20 organizations, including Blue Star Families, National Military Family Association, Military Officers Association of America, National Guard Association of the United States, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, the American Legion, and Wounded Warrior Project.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, young adults are the most uninsured age group and have the lowest rate of access to employer-based insurance, as many work part-time or entry-level jobs that don’t offer health benefits.

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