The Graham amendment, which passed 70-25, was included in the Senate's massive defense authorization bill and defense appropriations bill, which passed Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
"There is a great deal of support for this," Graham spokesman Kevin Bishop said of the provision. "These men and women are being called for longer and longer tours of duty. They're being taken away from their jobs and taken away from their families. They're doing more than ever for the United States."
Since their efforts have increased so dramatically, Graham thinks their benefits package should increase too, Bishop said.
Access to TRICARE regardless of activation status would benefit citizen soldiers, and recruiting efforts to keep the reserve components strong, said Lt. Col. Pete Brooks, spokesman for the S.C. Army National Guard in Columbia.
The amendment would have the federal government pay for about 72 percent of a guardsman's or reservist's health care package, with the service member paying about 28 percent, Bishop said.
Premiums for members of the National Guard and Reserves would be about $530 per year for an individual and $1,860 for families.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that more than 300,000 citizen soldiers would benefit from the program if it is passed.
Graham has said that guardsmen and reservists total about 40 percent of the U.S. forces serving in Iraq, and have been put in control of the entire peacekeeping mission in the Balkans.
"Better health care benefits will help our recruiting, readiness and retention efforts," Graham said in a release. "They need it, and I think based upon what they have been asked to do, particularly since 9/11, they've earned it."
Graham is a colonel in the Air Force Reserves and a former member of the S.C. Air National Guard.
Appropriating money for defense is a two-step process. The first step is to pass a bill authorizing the Senate to seek the money, and the second is to pass a bill that actually makes the money available. The authorization bill passed the Senate 97-0 Wednesday; the appropriations bill passed 98-0 Thursday.
"There is a great deal of support for this," Bishop said.
The Senate and the House of Representatives will now go into conference on both the defense authorization bill and the defense appropriations bill.
While the bills are similar, there are a few differences that need to be hashed out, including the TRICARE amendment in the Senate version and a House of Representatives amendment that would delay for two years the scheduled 2005 round of base realignments and closures.
U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., said he supports the TRICARE measure, is glad the Senate included it in the defense bill and is hopeful the conference committee will keep it in tact.
"My support is based on 31 years of service in the Army National Guard," said Wilson, who has two sons in the National Guard, one of which is serving in Iraq. "I know how beneficial this would be."
Access to TRICARE would be a huge selling point for recruiting and retention of guardsmen and reservists, Wilson said.
Brooks said the S.C. Army National Guard had spoken with Wilson's office about the benefits of such a measure. And Wilson said he'll be speaking with House conferees in support of the provision. "I feel the conference committee will make every effort to include it in the final version (of the bill)," he said.
The conference committee is expected to meet some time next month. The final bills reported out of the conference must again be passed by both houses of Congress and signed by President George W. Bush to become law.