This story was originally published by States Newsroom.

Congress will not expand access to in vitro fertilization to active-duty military personnel and their families under this year’s National Defense Authorization Act, the annual bill that sets Pentagon policy.

The House-Senate compromise released this weekend follows months of debate between the two chambers over whether to expand TRICARE’s coverage of assisted reproductive technologies like IVF, which are currently only available to troops whose infertility is related to a service-connected illness or injury.

Democratic Washington state Sen. Patty Murray said in a written statement that she was “disappointed that the final NDAA did not include the provisions I had advocated for to expand access to IVF for veterans and service members because of Republican opposition – the women and men in uniform sacrifice so much. for our country and should never have to sacrifice their right to raise a family.

“This bill was the result of tough negotiations with Republicans who were pushing to restrict women’s reproductive freedom in all kinds of ways. Democrats fought hard to ensure that the final NDAA excluded all sorts of harmful riders who would have limited the ability of women in uniform. make their own health care decisions, including traveling for life-saving abortion care,” Murray added.

The Republican-controlled House Armed Services Committee and the Democratic-led Senate Armed Services Committee included separate but somewhat similar provisions expanding access to IVF in their original versions of the NDAA earlier this year.

The two chambers spent the last few months ironing out differences throughout the bill before releasing the final version. 1,813 page version SATURDAY.

Congress is expected to vote to approve the package over the next two weeks, before both chambers leave town for the holidays.

THE joint explanatory memorandumreleased alongside the final NDAA, notes that none of the IVF expansion provisions were retained, but does not explain why.

“The House bill contained a provision (Section 701) that would provide assisted reproductive technology services to military personnel and their dependents,” it says. “The bill reported by the Senate committee contained a similar provision (Section 705) that would amend Chapter 55 of Title 10, United States Code, to require that fertility treatments be covered by TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select regardless of gender, sexual characteristics. , gender identity, sexual orientation, diagnosis or marital status of a service member or dependent.

A section of the original Senate bill that would have required the “Secretary of Defense to conduct an evaluation of options to establish within the military health system a benefits program for in vitro fertilization and related services for members active duty armed forces and their dependents” was also rejected.

Barbara Collura, president and CEO of Resolve: The National Infertility Organization, said she was “very disappointed to see that expanding IVF coverage in TRICARE was not” included in the final NDAA.

“Once again, our military will lack basic infertility health care, in a population that experiences higher rates of infertility than the general population,” Collura said in a written statement. “We will continue to advocate for comprehensive medical treatments for infertility for our military and veterans. »

TRICARE is the health care program “for active duty military members, their active duty family members, National Guard and Reserve members and their family members, retirees and their retired family members, survivors, and certain former spouses in the whole world. »

Alabama court ruling

Access to IVF became a national issue earlier this year when the Alabama State Supreme Court ruled that the frozen embryos constituted children under state law.

Although his ruling does not explicitly ban in vitro fertilization, all IVF clinics in Alabama have closed their doors until state lawmakers pass legislation providing criminal and civil protections for these facilities health.

U.S. Senate Democrats, citing the Alabama decision, tried to pass a bill in June Establish nationwide protections for IVF treatment, including provisions that would have expanded IVF services for military members and veterans. Republicans blocked the bill from moving forward.

Senate Democrats tried again to pass their IVF proposals in September using fast-track unanimous consent, but were again blocked by Republicans.

The same day, Alabama Republican Senator Katie Britt I tried to use the same procedure to win approval for his IVF bill, but was blocked by Democrats.

Veterinary organizations lobby for access to IVF

More than a dozen military and veteran service organizations, including Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Gold Star Wives of America and the National Military Family Association, wrote to Congress in early October, encouraging lawmakers to expand access to IVF in the final version of the annual defense authorization bill.

“Our nation’s military families earn their health benefits through immense service and sacrifice,” the organizations wrote. “The coverage offered under this plan should be consistent with that available in the best commercial plans.”

The groups wrote that lawmakers should expand access to IVF to keep military families on par with health coverage for federal employees and that enjoyed by members of Congress.

“TRICARE must meet the same standards – our service members and their families deserve no less,” they wrote.

The Federal Personnel Management Office written on his website that beginning in 2025, all beneficiaries of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program “will now have the choice of multiple national plans offering comprehensive IVF coverage.” However, these plans do not cover active-duty military members or their dependents, who receive health care coverage from TRICARE.

Duckworth and Jacobs write a letter

Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth and California Rep. Sara Jacobs, both Democrats, wrote a letter in October, encouraging leaders of the Armed Services Committee to expand access to IVF in the final House-Senate version of the NDAA.

“Two-thirds of service members, who often spend their early childbearing years in unsafe conditions and away from their partners, reported difficulty starting a family due to military service,” Duckworth and Jacobs wrote. “Most TRICARE beneficiaries must pay out-of-pocket for fertility treatment, which costs tens of thousands of dollars, while dealing with difficult duty station changes and complex health care system bureaucracy. »

Duckworth and Jacobs added that it would be “hypocritical for members of Congress to receive high-quality fertility benefit coverage next year, just after denying such IVF coverage to brave Americans ready to defend our country in uniform, and to the dedicated military families who sacrifice.” to support their loved ones’ service to our great country.

But not all members of Congress have supported plans to expand IVF coverage to the military.

Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale and Oklahoma Rep. Josh Brecheen, both Republicans, urged the Armed Services committees to leave IVF access to the military as it currently stands.

“While we have great sympathy for couples who are having difficulty starting a family, IVF is ineffective, leads to the destruction of innocent human lives and does nothing to address the root cause of a couple’s infertility », they wrote in a one page letter they sent in November.

The two men then added that “Congress must protect our country’s most vulnerable and reject any provisions that lead to the destruction of innocent human lives and increase our debt by nearly $36 trillion.”