H.R. 4381 – To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a pilot program regarding treat…

AI-Generated Summary

Updated November 23, 2025 at 11:32 PM UTC

This bill directs the Secretary of Defense to launch a five‑year pilot program that allows pregnancy to be considered a qualifying life event for enrolling in the TRICARE Select health plan. The program must begin within 180 days of the law’s passage, and the Secretary must brief Congress within a year and provide annual reports on enrollment changes, including data on how many enrollments are due to pregnancy. The measure aims to give service members and their families easier access to TRICARE Select coverage during pregnancy.

Key Provisions

The Secretary of Defense must start a five‑year pilot program within 180 days of the law’s enactment that treats pregnancy as a qualifying event for enrolling in TRICARE Select.
An initial briefing on the pilot’s status must be given to the designated congressional committees within one year of enactment.
The Secretary must submit an annual report for the next four years (five reports total) detailing enrollment changes, broken down by month and by the reason for the change, including whether it was due to pregnancy.
The bill defines key terms such as “covered enrollment change” (a switch to TRICARE Select) and “eligible beneficiary” (any person who can enroll in TRICARE Select).

Legislative Activity

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HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.

Armed Services Committee

July 14, 2025

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

July 14, 2025

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.

Armed Services Committee

July 14, 2025

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued July 14, 2025

I

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 4381

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 14, 2025

Ms. Sewell introduced the following bill; which was 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.

1.

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

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 provide to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the pilot program. Each such report shall include the number of covered enrollment changes, disaggregated by—

(1)

month, beginning with January 2027; and

(2)

whether the eligible beneficiary made such covered enrollment change—

(A)

because the eligible beneficiary is a member of the uniformed services who separated from active duty;

(B)

because the eligible beneficiary is a member of the uniformed services who returned to active duty;

(C)

because the eligible beneficiary is a dependent of a member of the uniformed services who separated from active duty;

(D)

because the eligible beneficiary is a dependent of a member of the uniformed services who returned to active duty; or

(E)

based on the treatment, under the pilot program, of pregnancy as a qualifying event for enrollment in TRICARE Select.

(d)

Definitions

In this section:

(1)

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.

(2)

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.

(3)

The terms TRICARE program and TRICARE Select have the meanings given such terms in section 1072 of title 10, United States Code.

(4)

The term appropriate congressional committees means—

(A)

the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives;

(B)

the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives;

(C)

the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives; and

(D)

the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate.