3 Reasons the attempt to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act won't change TRICARE.
A recent article by Leo Shane of Stars and Stripes explains how and why any actions to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will not make any immediate changes to TRICARE or the new TRICARE Young Adult option. In fact there are three main reasons why the actions taken by the House to repeal the act won't change anything right away.
Reason 1. When PPAC was passed, Congress quickly followed up by passing the TRICARE Affirmation Act, a law which ensured that TRICARE wouldn't change due to PPAC. Simply put, TRICARE was shielded from the rules for PPAC in the first place, so any repeal won't have an effect anyway.
Reason 2. The expansion of TRICARE coverage to include adult children over 21 (known as the TYA option) was not included in the original Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In fact TYA is part of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2011, which means that any effort to repeal PPAC will not have an immediate effect. Congress would have to pass a separate bill to eliminate the TYA program.
Reason 3. Although the House passed the repeal, it is not likely to get any traction in the Senate and there is no chance that this president will sign any such repeal.
But, this may serve as a gut check, of sorts. How would most TRICARE beneficiaries react to a repeal of the TYA option? Just asking...
Note from the Author: Many readers have voiced concern about the use of the term "ObamaCare." From my perspective the term was widely used in the public domain. I assure you no political commentary was intended. I’ll be mindful of the use of such shorthand terms in future postings. Your feedback is appreciated. --Terry
