Military families who want to keep adult kids on Tricare face higher fees

The Wall Street Journal reports on how military families who wish to keep their adult children on their health plans are facing higher costs than those in the regular insurance market. Also, ABC News reports on research findings that compare the health of military veterans with current military and civilians.

The Wall Street Journal: Military Families Balk At Health Fee
A provision in the national health care law that lets young adults stay on their parents' insurance plan is popular with many families -- but not ones in the military. Families covered by Tricare, the health program for active and retired members of the military, must pay as much as $200 a month to let an adult child stay on their plan until age 26. Most families in private plans now pay no fee to extend such coverage. Military families are starting to complain about the disparity, saying they can't afford those premiums and have let their children go uninsured (10/9).

ABC News: Veterans Report Poorer Health Than Active Military, Civilians
Military veterans have poorer health compared with current servicemen as well as civilians, according to a new study by researchers at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle. They surveyed 53,000 veterans, 3,700 Guard and Reserve members, 2,000 active duty servicemen and 110,000 civilians about their health and access to health care. Veterans as well as active duty servicemen reported higher rates of diabetes, alcohol consumption and tobacco use compared with civilian men. In some ways, the findings, which were published Tuesday in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, are not so surprising given that current active duty, National Guard and Reserve service members are given routine physical screenings (Salahi, 10/9).