National Infertility Awareness Week - A Recap

Last Wednesday there was a briefing on Capitol Hill where advocates from Resolve: The National Fertility Association urged for full health insurance coverage of infertility and related services. According to Washington Times columnist Cheryl Wetzstein the advocates stated that the "complex, emotionally riveting issue" of infertility "needs to come out of the shadows -- and be fully covered by health insurance."

Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.) is sponsoring a bill (HR 697) that would require insurers to cover infertility services. Wasserman-Schultz said that infertility affects one in eight couples, but only 15 states require insurers to cover infertility related services. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) has introduced a companion bill (S 1258) in the Senate.
Barbara Collura, the Executive Director of Resolve, also stated that another goal of Resolve’s is to secure 1 million dollars for a “national action plan” on infertility that is under development with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

These events were fitting since last week was National Fertility Week. However, at a time when health care costs are already skyrocketing is it a good idea to add to these costs by adding coverage for infertility related services? On the other hand, requiring health insurers to cover infertility related services could bring down the cost of these services, thus, making them more accessible to couples who need them.

Only time can answer these questions, but as you can see from last week’s blogs infertility issues are becoming more and more prevalent in the news here in the US and around the world.