Resolution Urges Improved Healthcare Access For Military Families

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — A new bipartisan resolution urges better accommodation of military family members with special needs. The resolution was introduced this month by State Representatives Janine Boyd, a Democrat from Cleveland Heights, and Haraz Ghanbari, a Republican from Perrysburg.

“One of our most fundamental promises, not only as lawmakers, but as Americans, is to ensure we take care of our service members and their families,” said Boyd. “These changes would better and more easily connect military families with the critical care and services they need to live better, healthier lives.”

Currently, more than 2.3 million children of active-duty military personnel are enrolled in Tricare, the healthcare program for military personnel. Of those, nearly 200,000 rely on Medicaid for supplemental coverage for home and community-based services, Boyd's office said.

Most military families move between states every two to three years, on rotation. The nomadic lifestyle makes it difficult to keep access to home and community-based Medicaid services, which are administered at the state level, not the federal level.

Boyd and Ghanbari's resolution would urge Congress to standardize the process, making it easier for active-duty military members and their families to access the care they need.

More information on the Tricare program and its members can be found online.