TriCare and Doula Work

In October 2021 the Federal Register released a statement that TriCare, the health insurance option for military families, would reimburse an in-network doula for continuous labor support and six pre/postpartum visits as part of their new pilot program. This pilot program is VERY new, and the application process was as clear as mud. As a military spouse, I would LOVE to remove the financial barrier for service members and their dependents by being able to take TriCare, but I can’t work for free, or pay to do this work. Becoming an in-network provider wasn’t an option, but I couldn’t just give up.

So I spent hours emailing and on the phone with Tricare West and Health Net learning about participating and nonparticipating providers, in- vs out-of-network providers, and balanced billing.

After cross-certifying with an approved organization, submitting proof of meeting all the requirements on the application, I got a letter from Tricare West yesterday. I am officially approved to be a Tricare non-network, non-participating Certified Labor Doula (CLD)!

Now, active duty members and their families that I serve will be able to submit their invoices to Tricare for reimbursement!

There are so many other things I would like to address when it comes to doula support and Tricare, but this is all the time I have for today. If you are stationed at Offutt AFB, I would LOVE for you to join me on Zoom for my Tricare Webinar to learn more about the new doula program and what services I provide!

Until then, share this blog post and let me know what your concerns or excitements are around TriCare’s new policies.

-xo, Kayla

Pssssst….don’t forget to click HERE to register for the Zoom, if you can’t make the live I’ll email you the recording!