MIDWIVES for Service Members Act of 2024

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9335 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9335

  To direct the Secretary of Defense to carry out a pilot program to 
   provide services from midwives to covered beneficiaries under the 
                            TRICARE program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 9, 2024

Mr. Kilmer (for himself, Mr. Ciscomani, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, and Ms. 
 Strickland) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the Secretary of Defense to carry out a pilot program to 
   provide services from midwives to covered beneficiaries under the 
                            TRICARE program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Maternal and Infant Delivery 
Wellness and Integration with Vital Expertise Support for Service 
Members Act of 2024'' or the ``MIDWIVES for Service Members Act of 
2024''.

SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM TO MAKE MIDWIFE SERVICES AVAILABLE THROUGH 
              TRICARE.

    (a) Pilot Program.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall begin a five-year 
pilot program to provide services from covered midwives to covered 
beneficiaries under the TRICARE program.
    (b) Authority To Make Permanent.--If the Secretary determines, 
after the termination of the pilot program that such pilot program was 
successful, the Secretary may prescribe such regulations to establish a 
permanent program to make services from covered midwives available to 
covered beneficiaries as the Secretary determines appropriate.
    (c) Reports.--
            (1) Implementation report.--Not later than 180 days after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
        submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the House of 
        Representatives and the Senate a plan to implement the pilot 
        program under subsection (a).
            (2) Annual report.--Not later than one year after the date 
        on which the pilot program begins and annually thereafter until 
        the date that is 1 year after the termination of the pilot 
        program, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Armed 
        Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate a 
        report including:
                    (A) The total cost of the pilot program and the 
                cost per covered beneficiary who received care under 
                the pilot program.
                    (B) The total number of covered beneficiaries who 
                received care under the pilot program.
                    (C) The race, ethnicity, age, sex, relationship 
                status, Armed Force, military occupation, and rank, as 
                applicable, of covered beneficiaries who received care 
                under the pilot program.
                    (D) An assessment of the effects of the pilot 
                program on quality of care, including--
                            (i) on maternal and fetal outcomes; and
                            (ii) on the number of pre-term births, low-
                        weight births, and rates of caesarean section, 
                        and such other data points as the Secretary 
                        determines appropriate.
                    (E) An assessment of patient satisfaction of 
                covered beneficiaries who received care through the 
                pilot program.
                    (F) An assessment of access to maternity and labor 
                and delivery care for covered beneficiaries, including 
                average wait time for an initial appointment and 
                average travel time to the provider.
                    (G) An assessment of the effectiveness of the pilot 
                program.
                    (H) Recommendations for adjustments to the pilot 
                program.
                    (I) The estimated cost savings as a result of 
                improved maternal and fetal health outcomes due to the 
                pilot program.
                    (J) The Secretary of Defense's recommendations 
                relating to changes to the pilot program, an extension 
                of the pilot program, and whether the pilot program 
                should be expanded made permanent.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The terms ``covered beneficiary'' and ``TRICARE 
        program'' have the meanings given such terms in section 1072 of 
        title 10, United States Code.
            (2) The term ``covered midwife'' means a certified 
        professional midwife or certified midwife who meets--
                    (A) the international definition of a midwife, and 
                global standards for midwifery education, established 
                by the International Confederation of Midwives, and
                    (B) any professional credentialing requirement 
                required to practice midwifery under applicable State 
                law.
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