TRICARE ends gender-affirming care coverage for minor dependents (NDAA FY2025 § 708 implementation)

Section 708 of the FY2025 NDAA (signed Dec. 23, 2024) amended 10 U.S.C. § 1079(a) to bar TRICARE from covering "medical interventions for the treatment of gender dysphoria that could result in sterilization" for beneficiaries under 18 — construed to reach puberty blockers and hormone therapy, which TRICARE had covered for dependents since 2016. In January 2025 military families reported coverage terminations and care disruptions as DoD implemented the provision; the incoming administration implemented it broadly rather than narrowly, in tandem with EO 14187's attack on care for minors (see sections 1-2).