TRICARE breast pump coverage: how to get one (2026)

Yes, TRICARE covers a breast pump. Every TRICARE plan covers one manual or standard electric breast pump per birth event, plus replacement supplies, with no copay or deductible ^[1][2]. You need a prescription from a TRICARE-authorized provider, and you can get the pump once you're 27 weeks pregnant ^[1]. Get it from a network supplier and you pay nothing. Buy it at a store or online and you pay first, then file a claim ^[1].

TRICARE doesn't follow the Affordable Care Act pump rule that private insurers do. Its coverage comes from Section 706 of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2015. TRICARE turned that law into Chapter 8, Section 2.6 of the TRICARE Policy Manual 6010.63-M, now at Revision C-6 (June 27, 2024) ^[2]. That section is what TRICARE's contractors follow, so we quote it throughout.

The Mom Site isn't affiliated with TRICARE or the Defense Health Agency. This page is built from tricare.mil and the TRICARE manuals, linked in the sources.

How to get a breast pump through TRICARE

1. Get a prescription at 27 weeks or later. It must come from a TRICARE-authorized doctor, physician assistant, nurse practitioner or nurse midwife, and it must say "manual" or "standard electric" ^[1][2].
2. Find a network supplier, or plan to pay up front. Network durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers bill TRICARE directly, so you pay nothing ^[1]. To find one, call your regional contractor: Humana Military in the East Region (800-444-5445), TriWest in the West Region (888-874-9378), or International SOS overseas ^[7].
3. Choose your pump. TRICARE pays up to its allowable amount, and deluxe features cost extra (details below) ^[2][3].
4. If you paid, file a claim. Send a DD Form 2642 or CMS-1500 with a copy of your prescription and the itemized receipt ^[2]. File within one year of the purchase in the U.S., or within three years overseas ^[6].
5. Reorder supplies on schedule. Bottles, valves, storage bags and other parts are covered in set amounts until three years after the birth event. Anything beyond the limits needs a new prescription ^[1][2].

What TRICARE covers

The policy manual counts a "birth event" as reaching the 27th week of pregnancy, giving birth before 27 weeks, or legally adopting an infant you intend to breastfeed ^[2]. Each birth event gets one pump.

Not covered: batteries, battery-powered adapters and battery packs; regular baby bottles; travel bags; cleaning supplies; baby scales; hands-free pumping garments; ice packs and labels; nursing bras and pads; over-the-counter creams; and extended pump warranties ^[1][2]. TRICARE also won't pay to rent a personal-use pump ^[2].

Hospital-grade pump rentals

TRICARE covers a heavy-duty hospital-grade pump when you need it to get your milk started in a hard situation. The manual lists parents and babies separated by illness, and babies who can't feed directly at the breast because of a medical complication or congenital anomaly in either of you. Induced lactation, relactation and adoption also qualify ^[2].

You need a prescription, and tricare.mil says to work with your provider and your regional contractor on a referral and authorization ^[1][2]. The rental is covered for as long as it stays medically necessary. Once it isn't, TRICARE can cover a manual or standard electric pump instead ^[2]. Cost-shares, copays and deductibles don't apply ^[2].

What you pay, and the upgrade question

From a network supplier, a covered pump and supplies cost you nothing ^[1]. TRICARE waived cost-shares, copays and deductibles for pumps, supplies and breastfeeding counseling from December 19, 2014 ^[2].

If you buy elsewhere, TRICARE reimburses up to its allowable amount ^[1]. It "pays up to a set amount for a breast pump and initial breast pump kit" ^[5]. The Reimbursement Manual sets that amount as the lowest of the billed charge, a negotiated rate or a national prevailing charge ^[3]. When these limits started in July 2018, the national charge for an electric pump was $312.50. The Defense Health Agency now updates the rates each year and posts them on health.mil instead of in the manual ^[3]. So if you buy a pump that costs more than the current limit, you pay the difference.

Deluxe pumps. The policy excludes pumps with "luxury or deluxe" features, such as smartphone or Bluetooth connectivity, enhanced or expanded rechargeable batteries, luxury tote bags and car adapters. You can still buy one and pay the difference between TRICARE's maximum and the price ^[2]. TRICARE doesn't mention wearable pumps either way, so ask your supplier how a wearable you're considering will be billed before you order. For a side-by-side look at models, see which breast pumps insurance covers.

Where you can buy. TRICARE's FAQ lists network DME providers, commissaries, exchanges (PX, BX or Station Exchange), civilian stateside and overseas retail stores, and online stores, with standard shipping and handling covered ^[4].

TRICARE Overseas: getting a pump outside the U.S.

The benefit is the same for every TRICARE plan, including overseas ^[1]. What changes is how you buy and get paid back.

• Buy locally or online. TRICARE's FAQ includes overseas retail stores, online stores, commissaries and exchanges ^[4]. Keep the itemized receipt.
• Higher limits for overseas suppliers. The Reimbursement Manual sets separate overseas rates to account for currency, shipping and availability. Its table put an electric pump at $500 and other supplies at twice the stateside rate. Those rates apply only to items bought overseas from an overseas supplier. A U.S. supplier that ships to you overseas is paid at stateside rates ^[3].
• File with the overseas processor. Send a DD Form 2642 with your prescription and receipt ^[2]. You have three years from the purchase to file overseas, against one year in the U.S. ^[6].
• Call International SOS with questions. It's the TRICARE Overseas Program contractor. Its regional call centers are +44-20-8762-8384 for Eurasia-Africa, +1-215-942-8393 for Latin America and Canada, and +65-6339-2676 for the Pacific ^[7].
• Check your prescriber. The prescription still has to come from a TRICARE-authorized provider ^[1][2]. If a host-nation doctor or midwife handles your prenatal care, confirm with International SOS that they count before you rely on their prescription.

Breastfeeding help, Medicaid and other plans

TRICARE also covers up to six outpatient breastfeeding counseling sessions per birth event, on top of the help you get in the hospital or at OB and well-baby visits. The sessions must be with a TRICARE-authorized provider, and there's no cost-share ^[2]. Our guide to whether insurance covers lactation consultants explains how that works, and you can find a lactation consultant near you.

If you're on Medicaid instead, your state sets the pump rules. See breast pumps through Medicaid, by state. For private plans, start with how to get a breast pump through insurance, or see the rules for Kaiser members and Aetna members.

What to ask your regional contractor

Call Humana Military, TriWest or International SOS ^[7] and ask:

• "Which network DME suppliers near me handle breast pumps?"
• "What does my prescription need to include for a network supplier?"
• "If I buy a pump at a store, what's the current allowable amount?"
• "My baby is in the NICU. How do I get a referral and authorization for a hospital-grade rental?"
• "My pump broke. Will TRICARE cover a new one?"
• "Can I have a reference number for this call?"

Write down the date, the name of the person you spoke with and the reference number. TRICARE says it may cover a new pump if yours breaks, under certain conditions, and the contractor makes that call ^[1].