Sponsors (4)
The bill mostly improves clarity, data collection, and centralized resources to identify and address gaps in maternal care for military families, but it concentrates interpretation and reporting authority in DoD, creates administrative and privacy burdens, and restricts abortion-related enrollment changes and information.
All TRICARE-covered service members, dependents, and military families will get a required, comprehensive DoD assessment that identifies maternity care deserts, staffing shortages, and maternal-care costs so targeted fixes (staffing, network expansion, funding) can be pursued.
Pregnant TRICARE beneficiaries (service members and dependents) will have clearer statutory definitions of 'maternal health' and related prenatal/postpartum benefits, improving understanding of what services are covered.
Pregnant enrollees and those experiencing pregnancy loss can use that event to change TRICARE plan enrollment, with clarified documentation rules to reduce uncertainty for beneficiaries and administrators.
Women and pregnant beneficiaries will be explicitly prevented from using abortion as a qualifying life event to change TRICARE enrollment, and Military OneSource materials are barred from including abortion information or referrals, limiting access to information and enrollment options.
Narrow statutory definitions combined with designation of the Secretary of Defense as the interpreter concentrate authority in DoD and risk excluding certain services/providers or delaying coverage clarifications until DoD issues guidance.
Privacy and confidentiality concerns: requirements to notify the Secretary when a beneficiary reports a pregnancy and narrow documentation rules may force disclosure of sensitive medical details and raise privacy risks for service members.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Requires DoD to add pregnancy and pregnancy loss as TRICARE qualifying life events, report on MHS maternal-care access and staffing, and publish a Military OneSource maternal health guide (excluding abortion info).
Introduced April 8, 2025 by Nancy Mace · Last progress April 8, 2025
Requires the Department of Defense to treat pregnancy and pregnancy loss as TRICARE qualifying life events (with required documentation), to study and report on maternal health access and staffing across the Military Health System, and to publish a Military OneSource maternal health resource page and related counselor training. The measure also defines key terms (including maternity care deserts) and explicitly prohibits using abortion as a qualifying life event or including abortion information on the public guide. The bill focuses on improving enrollment flexibility, information access, and data-driven recommendations for maternal care in military treatment facilities and TRICARE networks, while adding reporting and outreach requirements with specific deadlines for DoD action.