A key MOAA-led proposal to improve military health system (MHS) access to prenatal care cleared an important hurdle with its inclusion in the House Armed Services Committee’s (HASC) version of must-pass defense legislation.

The committee’s draft of the FY 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would establish a five-year pilot program allowing pregnancy to be treated as a qualifying life event (QLE) for enrollment in TRICARE Select. If enacted, the pilot would allow beneficiaries to switch from TRICARE Prime to TRICARE Select during pregnancy, giving them greater flexibility to seek prenatal care from civilian providers when access challenges arise within the MHS.

[TAKE ACTION: Ask Your Lawmakers to Support Growing Military Families]

Such flexibility is not unprecedented. Before TRICARE’s annual open enrollment requirement took effect in 2019, beneficiaries generally could switch between TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Select (formerly TRICARE Standard/Extra) at any time. The pilot provision would restore limited flexibility for one specific circumstance – pregnancy – when timely access to care is especially critical and linked to positive infant and maternal outcomes.

Commercial health plans typically do not have a QLE for pregnancy, but TRICARE policy must address the unique nature of the MHS, which integrates care from military treatment facilities (MTFs) and the TRICARE network of civilian providers.

Patients who encounter MTF access problems cannot switch TRICARE plans to move their care to civilian providers outside of the annual open season unless they undergo a QLE. While this policy aligns with civilian plans, it fails to consider the unique nature of the military’s direct care system – a system with the potential to trap patients in a military hospital or clinic that does not meet their needs.

Enrollment flexibility is particularly important now as the Pentagon works to stabilize the MHS following years of reforms and persistent health care workforce shortages that have prevented some MTFs from providing military families with timely access to care.

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The NDAA provision mirrors the Improving Access to Prenatal Care for Military Families Act (H.R. 4381/S. 2239) but expands the pilot to include servicemembers as well as beneficiaries eligible for TRICARE Select.

The proposal would not expand or change TRICARE benefits. Coverage for pregnancy care remains the same across TRICARE Prime and Select – the pilot simply gives beneficiaries greater choice over where they receive their maternity care.

The committee-approved language represents an encouraging step forward, but additional work is required before the proposal becomes law. Please join MOAA in urging lawmakers to cosponsor the Improving Access to Prenatal Care for Military Families Act to demonstrate widespread support for this legislation as it progresses through the NDAA conference process.