TRICARE Midwife and Birth Center Coverage Guide (2026) | TRICARE.com

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## Quick answer TRICARE covers certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and birth centers that are TRICARE-authorized and meet specific state licensing requirements. While coverage for midwifery services is robust, TRICARE generally does not cover "lay" midwives or home births.

Details

TRICARE focuses on the "medical model" of midwifery. To be covered, your midwife must be a **Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)**.

### Covered Midwifery Services Under the 2026 TRICARE benefit, the following are typically covered when provided by a TRICARE-authorized CNM: * **Prenatal Care:** Routine checkups, bloodwork, and ultrasounds. * **Labor and Delivery:** Management of the birth process in a hospital or authorized birth center. * **Postpartum Care:** Follow-up exams for the mother for up to six weeks after birth.

### Birth Center Requirements A birth center is a freestanding facility (not a hospital) that provides services for low-risk pregnancies. For your stay to be covered by TRICARE: 1. **Authorization:** The center must be TRICARE-authorized and meet the standards set by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) or the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers (CABC). 2. **Referral/Authorization:** * **TRICARE Prime:** You must obtain a referral from your Primary Care Manager (PCM) and potentially an authorization from your regional contractor (Humana Military in the East; TriWest in the West). * **TRICARE Select:** You do not typically need a referral, but you must use a TRICARE-authorized center of your choice to ensure coverage.

### Costs for 2026 * **Active Duty Service Members:** $0 out-of-pocket for all maternity care. * **Active Duty Family Members (Group A):** * **Prime:** $0 for authorized care. * **Select:** 2026 rates for a birth center usually mirror outpatient surgery or specialty care copays, which are roughly $30–$60 per visit or a fixed admission cost, depending on the specific plan. * **Note on Group B:** Beneficiaries who entered service on or after Jan 1, 2018, may face slightly higher fixed copays.

### What is NOT Covered * **Home Births:** TRICARE does not cover home births or the services of a midwife during a home birth. * **Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) / Lay Midwives:** TRICARE typically only recognizes CNMs. Services provided by midwives who are not CNMs are generally not reimbursable.

## Who this affects * **Active Duty Service Members and Families:** Seeking low-intervention birth options. * **Retirees and their Families:** Enrollment in TRICARE Select or Prime (where available) allows for birth center use. * **National Guard and Reserve:** Those on active duty or enrolled in TRICARE Reserve Select.

## Sources * **TRICARE.mil - Maternity Care:** https://www.tricare.mil/CoveredServices/IsItCovered/MaternityCare * **TRICARE.mil - Birth Centers:** https://www.tricare.mil/CoveredServices/IsItCovered/BirthCenters * **Humana Military (East):** https://www.humanamilitary.com/ * **TriWest Healthcare Alliance (West):** https://www.triwest.com/