U.S. military insurance program expanded to cover older children

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama has signed into law legislation that allows adult children whose parents are in the Tricare health care program, which is available to members of the military and their dependents, to retain coverage up to age 26.

That coverage extension is a key part of last year’s health care reform law, but had not been applied to the Tricare program for members of the military until the president signed H.R. 6523 into law on Friday.

That omission was resolved by a provision inserted in a Department of Defense spending bill to which lawmakers gave final approval late last year.

The Tricare adult child coverage extension is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2011. Prior to the expansion, coverage ended when a child reached age 21, or 23 in the case of full-time college students.