119-hr3202

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3202 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 3202

 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

 May 5, 2025

 Ms. Strickland (for herself, Mr. Ciscomani, Ms. Randall, and Mrs. 
Kiggans of Virginia) 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 2025'' or the ``MIDWIVES for Service Members Act of 
2025''.

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 preterm 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 and 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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