Editor’s Note: This article is part of MOAA’s 2025-26 TRICARE Guide, brought to you by MOAA Insurance Plans, administered by Association Member Benefits Advisors (AMBA). A version of the guide appeared in the November 2025 issue of Military Officer magazine. 

One of the ways MOAA protects earned health care benefits is by advocating to address TRICARE parity issues, such as when TRICARE coverage policy does not keep up with evolving technology, treatment protocols, and health plan benchmarks. Coverage gaps can impede access to care, create financial burdens, and undermine the quality of medical treatment. MOAA and The Military Coalition (TMC) are sending a message to the leadership of the Defense Health Agency (DHA).

“We are concerned TRICARE is falling short of that benchmark in some key areas, leaving service members and their families without access to commonly covered treatments,” MOAA and TMC stated in a July letter, noting coverage should keep pace with Medicare and top private sector plans while also urging DHA to ensure TRICARE coverage is consistent with best practices.

[READ THE LETTER: ‘TRICARE Is Falling Short’]

Among gaps in coverage the letter cites:

• Chiropractic and acupuncture for non-pharmaceutical pain management.
• Assisted reproductive technology/in vitro fertilization.
• Coverage for young adult dependents up to age 26.
• Two recent gaps to emerge: Litfulo and laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT).

JAK inhibitors such as Litfulo are used for patients with alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder that leads to hair loss. Dozens of health plans, including Medicare and the VA, cover them.

LITT is the standard of care for a variety of conditions, including gliomas, brain metastases, and drug-resistant epilepsy. Medicare and many commercial payers cover LITT; TRICARE does not.

[RELATED: Help MOAA Ensure TRICARE Fertility Coverage Keeps Pace With Private-Sector Care]

Weight-Loss Drugs

MOAA’s Government Relations team is assessing a TRICARE policy change that ceases coverage of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss (Wegovy, Zepbound, and Saxenda) for TRICARE For Life (TFL) beneficiaries. TRICARE only authorizes weight-loss medications for patients that meet clinical criteria including at least one comorbid condition, such as high blood pressure.

TRICARE Prime and Select beneficiaries are not impacted by this policy change. TRICARE coverage policy for GLP-1 medications to treat Type 2 diabetes (Ozempic, Mounjaro, etc.) has not changed.

MOAA is concerned about patients who have lost access to GLP-1s and the precedent of excluding TFL beneficiaries from coverage.

TRICARE Young Adult

Young adult coverage requires a legislative fix.

MOAA has endorsed the reintroduced Health Care Fairness for Military Families Act (H.R. 4768/S. 2448) that would align TRICARE coverage of young adult dependents with federal requirements for commercial health plans by allowing military dependents to remain on a parent’s plan until age 26, saving military families as much as $8,724 per year.

[TAKE ACTION: Urge Your Lawmakers to Fix the TRICARE Young Adult Coverage Gap]

MOAA will continue efforts to build bipartisan support for a parity fix.

Early-Stage Alzheimer's Disease

MOAA’s advocacy work contributed to a TRICARE provisional coverage decision for a new type of drug for treatment of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.

For up to the next five years, TRICARE will cover Food and Drug Administration-approved monoclonal antibodies lecanemab (brand name Leqembi) and donanemab (brand name Kisunla) for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease in patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia.

[READ MORE: TRICARE Improves Coverage of Early Alzheimer’s Treatment]

Reimbursements for Leqembi and Kisunla went into effect earlier this year.