Duval Times

New mothers serving in the military and dependents of service members have expressed difficulty navigating maternal and infant health resources and services through TRICARE, the military’s healthcare system. Every mother should feel supported and be able to access the resources needed to support a healthy pregnancy and postpartum period despite the unique challenges of being in a military family.

U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Jim Risch (R-ID) introduced the Military Moms Act to improve maternal healthcare access and quality for service members and their families.

“Our service members and their families dedicate their lives to our country. Raising a family while serving in the military frequently poses additional difficulties, particularly for expectant mothers. My Military Moms Act would address these challenges and ensure that pregnant women in our military are better served under TRICARE,” said Senator Rubio.

U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) introduced companion legislation in the House.

“As a mom and the Representative for Fort Drum, I am proud to introduce the Military Moms Act to support and expand access to healthcare for our pregnant service members or their spouses as they grow their families. Our military families serve our nation selflessly, and it is our duty to take care of them, their children, and their families so that they can focus on safeguarding our nation,” said Congresswoman Stefanik.

Specifically, this bill would:

- Classify pregnancy and loss of pregnancy as qualifying life events under TRICARE to allow mothers to change their TRICARE plan to best serve their maternal health needs.

- Provide Congress with a comprehensive study on access to maternal health care within the Military Health System.

- Create a dedicated webpage of maternal and infant health resources on the U.S. Department of Defense’s Military OneSource website.

This bill is supported by Americans United for Life and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.