Dear John,

I found out the hard way that non-active duty servicemembers and their families don’t have access to the same no-cost birth control coverage as everyone else. The fact that military families like mine have to take on an additional financial burden just to access basic health services is unfair, plain and simple.

TRICARE is one of the nation’s biggest health insurance providers — because it’s the program that provides health insurance to our servicemembers and their families. It’s critically important for the health and well-being of our military — and our country. Unlike plans covered by the Affordable Care Act, however, TRICARE’s birth control coverage often requires co-pays and other out-of-pocket costs for non-active duty servicemembers and military family members.

I only found this out after my husband served four tours in Iraq and then medically retired due to injuries he sustained in combat. I gave birth to our twins and then decided to get back on birth control because it was the right call for my family. I went to my local pharmacy to pick up the same birth control I had used for years before my kids, back when I used private insurance. But this time, the pharmacist told me I owed a co-pay — which was a real shock after years of not having to pay anything out-of-pocket for birth control.

Luckily, I was able to pay the co-pay. But I know there are many who rely on TRICARE who wouldn’t have been able to afford that unexpected cost that day, let alone every month. One military family that can’t afford the health care they need is one family too many.

Right now we have an historic chance to make sure servicemembers and their families — like mine — have the same access to birth control as everyone else.

Congress is considering making TRICARE cover birth control without out-of-pocket costs, just like every other plan. Can you take a second to urge Congress to support families like mine and our reproductive health care?

Gender justice can't stop at the military. That's why we must support all reproductive justice issues in our armed services, from increased access to birth control for servicemembers and their families to overturning policies like the transgender military ban.

I found out the hard way that military families like mine don’t always have access to the care we need. But Congress can right that wrong. Contact them today so no military family will never have to wonder why they don’t have the same access to birth control as everyone else .

Sincerely,