Expectant and new mothers who have TRICARE both in the United States, and now abroad, have more options thanks to an expansion of the program’s Childbirth and Breastfeeding Support Demonstration (CBSD) arm.1
Expanded overseas starting January 1, 2025, and scheduled to run through December 31, 2026, the CBSD program provides military mothers and families additional pregnancy and postnatal support. The program covers certified labor doulas who can provide support during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, as well as lactation consultants.
According to a statement issued by TRICARE Communications, patients interested in availing themselves of the CBSD must have TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Prime Remote, or TRICARE Select; be at least 20 weeks pregnant for childbirth support or 27 weeks for breastfeeding support; and plan to give birth outside a military hospital or clinic.
Recent changes to the program note that doulas must now sign a participation agreement and that those doulas cannot charge for covered services after meeting the deductible.
“These expanded services help military families get the support they need during a critical time in their lives,” Jennifer Stankovic, health systems specialist, TRICARE Health Plan, at the Defense Health Agency, explained in the statement. “Our goal is to make sure military families have access to quality maternity support no matter where they live around the world.”
According to the TRICARE statement, TRICARE covers obstetrical visits; ultrasounds; prenatal and postpartum physical therapy and pelvic floor therapy; prenatal carrier screening; high-risk pregnancy management; hospital, birthing center, or deliveries at home; Caesarean sections; and anesthesia for pain management during labor and delivery.
Costs depend on the TRICARE plan. Active-duty service members and family members with TRICARE Prime have no costs for maternity services.
Patients with TRICARE Prime are asked to start by calling their primary care manager, who will help coordinate maternity care, including locating a local military hospital or clinic with maternity services, or referring to a civilian provider if needed. For those with TRICARE Prime Remote, patients can see any TRICARE-authorized civilian provider with preapproval from a regional coordinator. For those with TRICARE Select, patients can see any TRICARE-approved provider without a referral.
Coverage for a New Baby
To ensure continuous coverage for babies after birth, providers should encourage patients to:
- “Register the baby in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) within 90 days in the U.S. or 120 days overseas by visiting a Uniformed Services ID card office. New parents will need to bring the baby’s official birth certificate or FS-240 Consular Report of Birth Abroad.
- After registering in DEERS, coverage works differently based on sponsor status:
- Children of ADSMs are automatically enrolled in TRICARE Prime (if they live in a Prime Service Area in the U.S.) or TRICARE Select. Overseas, children are enrolled to TRICARE Select Overseas. You have 90 days from the date of DEERS registration to change your child’s enrollment to TRICARE Prime Overseas or TRICARE Prime Remote Overseas (if available and command-sponsored). You can change your child’s plan within 90 days of DEERS registration.
- Children of retirees aren’t automatically enrolled. You must submit enrollment forms to your regional contractor.
- Children of TRICARE Reserve Select or TRICARE Retired Reserve enrollees aren’t automatically enrolled. You must submit enrollment forms to your regional contractor.”
To check on a child’s enrollment, new parents are encouraged to visit milConnect within 90 days of birth.
Reference
- TRICARE Communications. Having a baby in 2025? Here’s how TRICARE covers maternity services. March 26, 2025. Accessed April 4, 2025. https://newsroom.tricare.mil/News/TRICARE-News/Article/4135569/having-a-baby-in-2025-heres-how-tricare-covers-maternity-services