I’m getting involved in the upcoming legislative session. Tonight, I’m meeting with one of our state legislators to discuss the possibility of infertility legislation being introduced. Currently, 12 states require insurance companies to offer some kind of coverage for infertility treatments. Three states have a “mandate to offer”, which means the insurance companies there are required to offer coverage and employers can decide whether or not to purchase that coverage. Last night, I found infertility legislation that had been introduced last year but for some reason didn’t make it to the house floor for a vote. It bums me out to know that if it had passed last session I would be covered, but at least now this gives me a good starting place and should make this battle easier. Obviously someone else thinks this is an issue too.
I’ve been thinking about this for a while. It’s an issue that hits home since I have been battling infertility and now my husband and I are planning on having IVF next spring. It’s expensive and will make things tight next year, but for millions of couples, it’s either pay $10,000-$15,000 or not have a child. It’s not fair, but sometimes that’s how things go.
I have an issue with insurance companies refusing to cover infertility treatments. Their argument is that such treatments aren’t life threatening. I have news for them — neither are most of the procedures and treatments they do cover.
Going through this is hard. It’s embarrassing. I know it shouldn’t be, but it is. I’m the only person in my family to deal with this, and that makes it really difficult. But now I can make a difference. I can hopefully help spur a change. It won’t help me this time around, but hopefully it can help many other women who otherwise would have to figure out how to pay the thousands of dollars to have the baby they yearn for.
I wish you all the luck in the world with your IVF – keep going forward.
The result will be worth every penny
You make me proud to be your husband.
Don’t forget that it’s not the health insurance companies really…it’s the companies we work for that decide not to offer us that coverage. Companies can come up with whatever type of coverage they want, they just choose not to offer it to us.
I found your blog after googling infertility and insurance and I too am meeting w/our state legislaters about a Nov. 19th vote in VA mandating infertility coverage. We are the people that will move this issue forward! Don’t give up and recruit your friends and family. My husband and I jsut had an unsuccessful IVF treatment that exhausted what little coverage we had, making us responsible for all cost out of pocket if we want to try again. So we are forced to make the decision of jeapordizing our financial security or having a child. No one should have to make that decision!
Go get ’em girl!!
Good luck with the treatment! It can be very difficult to talk to people about it, as most people can’t really relate to it, especially younger people