Access to Contraception for Women Servicemembers and Dependents Act of 2017

Access to Contraception for Women Servicemembers and Dependents Act of 2017

This bill expands the TRICARE health care program to entitle additional female beneficiaries and dependents to care related to the prevention of pregnancy. (Currently, such care is limited to certain female members of the uniformed service or a reserve component performing active duty or certain servicewomen performing inactive-duty training.)

Cost-sharing may not be imposed or collected for such pregnancy prevention care, including for any method of contraception provided through a facility of the uniformed services, the TRICARE retail pharmacy program, or the national mail-order pharmacy program.

Such pregnancy prevention care shall include: (1) all methods of contraception approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), (2) contraceptive care, (3) sterilization procedures, and (4) patient education and counseling.

The Department of Defense shall establish a uniform standard curriculum to be used in family planning education programs for all men and women members of the Armed Forces.

Every military treatment facility, upon request, shall provide emergency contraception, information about FDA-approved methods of emergency contraception, and notification of confidentiality rights to any woman who: (1) states, or is accompanied by another individual who states, that the woman is a victim of sexual assault; or (2) is reasonably believed to be a survivor of sexual assault.