As new or expectant mothers in the military, we all want to receive the best care that is out there. However, with the systems continuously changing, some new and expectant mothers are currently facing some confusion with their military insurance, or specifically, their TRICARE insurance.

Delayed Appointments and Ultrasounds

There is a lot of military insurance that was dropped for no reason, and about four women who are new and about to have a baby had issues with TRICARE.

A U.S. Navy Veteran in Indiana learned that her health insurance had been dropped while her incision site from her cesarean section was still fresh.

Courtney Frazon, an Air National Guard member who was supposedly having a twenty-week ultrasound, also had the same, as her doctor didn’t accept her military insurance.

Two medical providers in Kansas City told Audrey Simmons that they couldn’t cater to her anymore because of the ongoing discussions with her military insurance.

These women were supposed to receive and be covered by the military insurance program TRICARE, but now they are facing challenges and are confused because their healthcare providers can’t attend to them.

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy James Honea, who just recently testified during a congressional hearing on quality-of-life issues for members of the military, said that the issue is “going to have detrimental effects to our family, to our family readiness and possibly to our military readiness.”

What Causes the Confusion with TRICARE?

As of the moment, there is no clear statement on why there are delays in appointments and care, as the Defense Health Agency, which runs TRICARE, said that they couldn’t comment on such individual cases, adding that there are federal privacy laws. Therefore, they would not confirm if the problems detailed by the affected women are caused by the larger TRICARE issues.

“The uniformed service members and their families deserve the best healthcare available, and anytime there is a shortfall of any kind, we take it seriously and strive to correct it and reduce the chances of it happening in the future,” the agency said in a statement.

However, the Defense Health Agency has been outsourcing TRICARE operations. Back on January 1, TriWest Healthcare Alliance took over West Coast management, which is a considerable factor in why these issues are happening.

There are also about 16,000 healthcare providers on the East Coast that were not paid from December 2024 until March, all because of a data error, according to Humana Military.

On the other hand, the West Coast members had to wait longer, and there were also delays with their processing of new referrals for outpatient care.

However, the Humana Military said that the data issue in March was already fixed, and the Defense Health Agency also said that the providers from TriWest have left but didn’t specify how many.

TRICARE Prenatal Care

TRICARE expanded its maternity care benefits back in March, adding childbirth and breastfeeding support services.

Additionally, there are doctor visits, ultrasounds, and deliveries, and they also pay for unlimited doula care during birth, prenatal and postpartum physical therapy, breast pumps, and even a third dental cleaning in a twelve-month period.

Military members who serve at least twenty years or those who retire for medical reasons have the option to keep their coverage for life, as well as their spouses.

“It is a very valuable benefit,” said Eileen Huck, the acting director of government relations for the National Military Family Association. “It is definitely an incentive to join the military and stay in the military, knowing that you and your family will have this healthcare coverage.”

How This Affects New and Expectant Mothers

Marine Corps Sgt. Savannah Harper wasn’t able to get prenatal care back in January when she transferred from a California base to a Hawaii base. She was told that she didn’t have a referral on file and that she couldn’t be attended to.

With that, she repeatedly called TRICARE to see what the issue was and maybe get some help, but to no avail. February came, and she was a full month overdue for her twenty-week ultrasound, “I could feel her moving, so I knew she was OK generally, but I didn’t know what limbs she had,” she said. “It was very, very nerve-wracking.”

The Navy Veteran who was based in Indiana has also found out that TRICARE had dropped her after she gave birth. She retired from the military because of post-traumatic stress disorder, but when they went to a local military office with her marriage certificate, separation papers, and her baby’s birth certificate to add her newborn daughter as a dependent, she was told that she was no longer eligible for insurance, “I feel like I have failed her,” she said of her baby girl. “This anxiety is worse than it had to be. It’s constant.”

What happened to these women is just one of the stories that show how a new system is delayed and how miscommunications can affect them in the most vulnerable time in their lives.

We all know that military insurance like TRICARE is meant to support service members and their families, so how they work the system should be fixed because if it falls short, it can greatly affect those who need it.

Read next:

• The First Year Focus Program Offers Support to New Navy & Marine Corps Moms
• Your Ultimate Guide for Military Spouse Resources
• Top Leaders Push for Extending Military Parental Leave Options

Sources:

• Delayed Ultrasounds, Disrupted Care: Pregnant Women Are Hit with Military Insurance Snafus