Rounds, Casey, Booker Introduce Legislation to Strengthen Prenatal Care for Military Families

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD), Bob Casey (D-PA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) today introduced bipartisan legislation to make certain that pregnant women covered by TRICARE have the opportunity to receive critical, expedited prenatal care upon the first detection of a birth defect in utero. The TRICARE Treatment for Fetal Repair Improvement Act would help make certain that a pregnant woman covered under TRICARE, a Department of Defense program that provides health care to military personnel and their dependents, receives expedited fetal surgery if needed. This legislation responds to multiple examples of referrals taking several weeks or longer, a period that can render the option of fetal surgery to repair an anomaly less viable.

“When it comes to fetal surgery, every minute counts,” said Rounds. “When technology is available that could minimize or eliminate fetal abnormalities and dramatically increase the quality of life of the child via fetal surgery, there should be no hesitation to act. Our legislation would make certain that mothers and their unborn babies receive critical, expedient care upon first detection of an anomaly.”

“I’m proud to support legislation that puts military mothers and children first,” said Casey. “This bipartisan, commonsense approach will ensure that mothers served by TRICARE are receiving the care that they need, when they need it.”

“Preventable circumstances should never stand in the way of a family obtaining necessary care, and this bill will help ensure that military women and families receive the timely, critical care that they need to maximize their chances of achieving the best possible health outcomes,” said Booker.

Rounds introduced similar legislation in the 114th Congress. 

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