Health insurance offered for Citizen Airmen

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Leo Brown
  • 442nd Fighter Wing public affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  The majority of traditional reservists may be eligible to purchase health insurance under a new TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS) plan.

The plan is similar to TRICARE Standard and Extra, and features open enrollment, increased availability to survivors and no activation requirements, according to a recent letter from Maj. Gen. Elder Granger, deputy director of TRICARE Management Activity, to Lt. Gen. John Bradley, chief of the Air Force Reserve. Also, tiers, service agreements and differing premium levels no longer exist in the program.

However, selected Reserve members eligible for the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) program or currently covered under FEHB cannot participate in TRS.

FEHB is for Department of Defense civilians, which includes air reserve technicians, according to Captain Joe Walter, 442nd Mission Support Flight commander.

Captain Walter said he encourages eligible Airmen to at least look into the TRS program, which can be purchased in monthly premiums of $81 for individuals and $253 for member-and-family coverage.

"I've talked to some folks who are paying over a $1,000 a month for health insurance and with this program, you're paying $253 a month," he said. "It's absolutely an incentive for joining (the Air Force Reserve) and for staying on as a traditional reservist. With all the benefits and entitlements Air Force Reserve Command has been giving us over the years, this doesn't surprise me. This is huge for Airmen with families.

"If you're a technical sergeant making $400 each UTA, it's like making $1,400 each month," Captain Walter said. "Even though it's not money in the pocket, its money saved."

Capt. Rob Fritts and Chaplain (Capt.) Jim Buckman are two 442nd Fighter Wing Airmen using TRS. Captain Fritts, 442nd Communications Flight commander, said he recently signed up for the program, while Chaplain Buckman has been using it for about a year.

"There was about a $300 difference in my monthly premium between the TRICARE Reserve Select plan and my employer's health care plan," said Captain Fritts, who has a spouse and three children. "Plus, I saved my employer about $600 a month, which was their share of the premium. I'm saving about $3,600 a year with this."

Chaplain Buckman said signing up for the program was a "no brainer."

"I'm self-employed as a pastor and my church bought my insurance through BlueCross BlueShield," he said. "It cost our church a little over $1,200 a month and TRICARE for my family is about $400 a month. We have a dental option with the plan. So we're saving about $10,000 a year.

"This is a fantastic deal," said the chaplain, who has a spouse and five children. "BlueCross is top of the line, but TRICARE has a lower deductible and all your pharmaceutical prescriptions count toward your deductible. If you're on base, you can reload your prescriptions for free and you can't do that with BlueCross. I've been very happy with the coverage"

For more information on TRS, go to the "My Benefits" link at www.tricare.mil.