WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), is cosponsoring legislation to ensure military families have access to critical health care during pregnancy, rather than waiting until after childbirth to increase their coverage. The Improving Access to Prenatal Care for Military Families Act would create a Department of Defense (DOD) pilot program to designate pregnancy as a Qualifying Life Event (QLE) under TRICARE, the uniformed services health care plan for active duty members, their families, and veterans. This legislation will empower servicemembers and their spouses to choose a health care plan that will best meet their needs during pregnancy.

"Our servicemembers and their families make many sacrifices when serving our country and their health care needs increase when they or their spouse become pregnant. We owe it to them to proactively meet their medical situation when they decide to start or expand their families," said Senator King. "The Improving Access to Prenatal Care for Military Families Act will provide expectant families with peace of mind and allow them to make their own decisions when it comes to health care both during and after pregnancy. This pro-family legislation is another step forward in ensuring those who serve and their spouses have access to the highest-quality maternal care."

Currently, TRICARE beneficiaries may opt to change their TRICARE plan during the annual Open Season or if they experience a Qualifying Life Event (QLE). QLEs currently include marriage, divorce, a job change, a move and the birth or adoption of a child, but not pregnancy. The Improving Access to Prenatal Care for Military Families Act would provide greater flexibility to expectant military families by establishing a five-year DoD pilot program to designate pregnancy as a QLE. Such a designation would allow beneficiaries to switch from TRICARE's Prime and Select plans if doing so would provide that individual with better coverage for prenatal care.

The legislation is sponsored by Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii).

Senator King has been a strong supporter of a woman's right to reproductive health care. He opposed the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade calling it "a dangerous, blatantly political ruling that will rob millions of women the fundamental right to make decisions about their own health, safety, and lives." Prior to the Supreme Court's ruling, King voted to advance the Women's Health Protection Act, legislation which would codify the longstanding precedent of Roe v. Wade into federal law and protect the right to these vital health care decisions. Last year, he sent a letter to the Secretary of Defense highlighting the wide-ranging implications of the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade, and the challenges that restrictive abortion laws pose to servicemember health and finances, military readiness, recruitment, and retention. Earlier this year, he cosponsored a bill to protect and enhance fertility treatments for servicemembers and veterans looking to start or expand their families.

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