TRICARE beneficiaries seeking fertility treatments have fewer options than those under many private-sector plans, including plans available to lawmakers and federal workers. Language in both the House and Senate versions of the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would change that … if it survives the conference process.

[ADD YOUR VOICE: Ask Lawmakers to Fix TRICARE’s IVF Coverage Gap]

TRICARE has not kept pace with benchmark health plans as coverage of assisted reproductive technology, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), has evolved. The Washington, D.C., marketplace plans available to members of Congress and their staff are now required by law to cover IVF, for example, and the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) Program has expanded its fertility treatment coverage. All FEHB plans must cover drugs related to IVF for up to three cycles annually and artificial insemination procedures.

Beyond this baseline coverage, 25 plans available to federal employees offer coverage for IVF procedures and medical services. Likewise, 7 in 10 employers with more than 20,000 employees provided IVF coverage in 2024, according to a recent survey.

Servicemembers have earned a world-class health benefit through their extraordinary sacrifice and willingness to accept risk in defense of our nation. Providing comprehensive, high-quality health care is both an obligation that honors these sacrifices and a necessity for recruiting, retention, and readiness of the all-volunteer force.

Servicemembers and their families deserve access to the same family building options available to members of Congress and their staff and other federal employees. Language in both NDAA versions would allow TRICARE coverage of three IVF cycles, similar to D.C. marketplace plan requirements. But even though the House and the Senate each agreed to the benefit expansion, it must still survive the conference process; MOAA is committed to seeing it through, and your outreach will help make that happen.

[RELATED: Senate Advances Annual Defense Policy Bill]

MOAA continues to encourage Congress to provide uniform TRICARE policy across all beneficiary categories by ensuring IVF coverage expansions include uniformed services retirees – many of whom are in their late 30s and 40s – along with Coast Guard, U.S. Public Health Service, and NOAA beneficiaries.

Contact your lawmakers today and ask them to ensure provisions expanding IVF coverage for military families remain in the FY 2026 NDAA as it moves through conference. Keep up with progress on this legislation and other MOAA priorities on our Legislative Action Center.