POUGHKEEPSIE – Under current law, children of military families may only remain on their parents’ health insurance policy until they are 21, but Congressman Pat Ryan (D, NY-18) wants to change that.
The West Point graduate and combat veteran has introduced his first bill to aid those families.
“It is not an accident that it is focused on supporting veterans and military families,” he said while at Dutchess Community College in the Town of Poughkeepsie. “Specifically, it gets at the issue of rising costs and rising healthcare costs that put so much pressure on families and military families.”
Ryan’s bill would extend the eligibility for health insurance coverage for children of military families to 26 years of age.
“This legislation would be a game-changer for families like mine, both in the Hudson Valley and across the country,” said Vicki Jackson of Orange County, a member of Ryan’s Veterans and Military Families advisory Committee. “My husband is still active duty and we’ve been worried about paying the TRICARE premium increase when our son finishes school.”
She said the savings from that bill would “remove that worry, providing direct relief at a time when so many families are feeling the strain on their wallets.”
