Improving Access to Prenatal Care for Military Families Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2239 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2239

    To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a pilot program 
 regarding treating pregnancy as a qualifying event for enrollment in 
                            TRICARE Select.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 10, 2025

Ms. Duckworth (for herself, Mr. Kim, Mr. King, Ms. Warren, Mr. Booker, 
    Mrs. Murray, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Bennet, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Wyden, Mrs. 
 Gillibrand, Ms. Alsobrooks, and Ms. Baldwin) introduced the following 
   bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed 
                                Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a pilot program 
 regarding treating pregnancy as a qualifying event for enrollment in 
                            TRICARE Select.

    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 ``Improving Access to Prenatal Care 
for Military Families Act''.

SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM TO TREAT PREGNANCY AS A QUALIFYING EVENT FOR 
              ENROLLMENT IN TRICARE SELECT.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall commence a five-
year pilot program under which the Secretary shall treat pregnancy as a 
qualifying event under section 1099(b)(1)(B) of title 10, United States 
Code, for enrollment in TRICARE Select by an eligible beneficiary.
    (b) Initial Briefing.--Not later than one year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall provide to the 
appropriate congressional committees a briefing on the status of the 
pilot program under subsection (a).
    (c) Annual Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the 
        Secretary commences the pilot program under subsection (a), and 
        annually thereafter for the next four years, the Secretary 
        shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a 
        report on the pilot program.
            (2) Elements.--Each report under paragraph (1) shall 
        include the number of covered enrollment changes during the 
        period covered by the report, disaggregated by--
                    (A) month, beginning with January 2026; and
                    (B) whether the eligible beneficiary made such 
                covered enrollment change--
                            (i) because the eligible beneficiary is a 
                        member of the uniformed services who separated 
                        from active duty;
                            (ii) because the eligible beneficiary is a 
                        member of the uniformed services who returned 
                        to active duty;
                            (iii) because the eligible beneficiary is a 
                        dependent of a member of the uniformed services 
                        who separated from active duty;
                            (iv) because the eligible beneficiary is a 
                        dependent of a member of the uniformed services 
                        who returned to active duty; or
                            (v) based on the treatment, under the pilot 
                        program under subsection (a), of pregnancy as a 
                        qualifying event for enrollment in TRICARE 
                        Select.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Active duty.--The term ``active duty'' has the meaning 
        given that term in section 101(d) of title 10, United States 
        Code.
            (2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate; 
                and
                    (B) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee 
                on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Committee 
                on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives.
            (3) Covered enrollment change.--The term ``covered 
        enrollment change'' means a change to a previous election by an 
        eligible beneficiary under subsection (b)(1) of section 1099 of 
        title 10, United States Code, to enroll in a health care plan 
        designated under subsection (c) of such section.
            (4) Dependent; tricare select.--The terms ``dependent'' and 
        ``TRICARE Select'' have the meanings given those terms in 
        section 1072 of title 10, United States Code.
            (5) Eligible beneficiary.--The term ``eligible 
        beneficiary'' means an individual who is eligible to enroll in 
        TRICARE Select under section 1075(b) of title 10, United States 
        Code.
            (6) Uniformed services.--The term ``uniformed services'' 
        has the meaning given that term in section 101(a) of title 10, 
        United States Code.
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