Sponsors (27)
The bill expands TRICARE fertility coverage and builds DoD capacity to improve access for active-duty members and dependents, but significant cost-sharing, exclusions for veterans, and clinical restrictions (limits on procedures and genetic/third‑party options) create trade-offs in affordability and reproductive choice.
Active-duty service members and their dependents gain TRICARE coverage for fertility diagnosis and a broad set of fertility treatments (including IVF and gamete preservation) with no additional fertility-specific waiting period after a medical infertility diagnosis, improving timely access to care.
The Department of Defense will create care coordination and provider-training programs to strengthen military-informed fertility care and expand community provider capacity, which should improve timeliness and quality of care for beneficiaries near bases or without on-base specialists.
The policy sets clinical limits (annual cap on oocyte retrievals and default single-embryo transfer) that standardize TRICARE practice and are likely to reduce risks associated with multiple births.
TRICARE cost-sharing and existing copayments/deductibles still apply, so many beneficiaries may face substantial out-of-pocket costs for fertility treatments despite the coverage mandate.
Former service members and recently separated personnel are excluded from the new coverage, leaving veterans without the same fertility benefits.
Prohibitions on preimplantation genetic screening and international surrogacy limit clinical and reproductive options for patients who need genetic testing or third-party reproduction, potentially forcing some to seek care outside TRICARE or abroad.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires TRICARE to cover fertility-related care (including IVF) for active-duty service members and dependents, creates care coordination, and limits certain technologies.
Official title: To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide fertility treatment under the TRICARE Program.
Introduced December 17, 2025 by Sara Jacobs · Last progress December 17, 2025
Requires the Department of Defense to cover fertility-related care, including IVF and related services, for active-duty service members and their dependents under TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Select. Establishes limits and clinical rules (three oocyte retrievals per year, single embryo transfer unless medically indicated), prohibits funding for certain reproductive technologies, and creates a care coordination and training program for fertility services. Coverage changes take effect for services provided on or after October 1, 2027, and cost-sharing follows existing TRICARE rules without a fertility-specific waiting period after a medical diagnosis of infertility.