Could Trump administration usher in mandates to cover IVF treatment? Maryland is there already.
Candidate
After last Tuesday’s election, advocates of making fertility treatments more affordable and accessible are uncertain about what lies ahead under the new administration, as Trump offered no details of his plan during the August statement to
Expanding such health benefits nationwide, “would be fantastic for our patients and something we hope comes to pass,” said
But some advocates remain skeptical about the next president’s ability to bring about such sweeping change. It has faced opposition in
“The former president has been all over the map in terms of what he says about abortion access, about reproductive rights and about access to different forms of reproductive health care,” said
Cost is the number one barrier to medical treatment, according to the
A bill before
“Everybody who has some kind of health insurance would have coverage that included infertility,” said
After a failed vote to advance the bill in September, Sen.
“This is simply an attempt by
Patient advocates and health professionals argue that premiums have not been shown to increase in states that require coverage. Analyses have shown an increase of only pennies on the dollar in per-member costs, for patients seeking fertility preservation, Reinecke said. That can include banking of eggs, ovarian tissue or embryos in advance of needing to undergo medical treatment such as chemotherapy that could threaten fertility,
“Health insurance exists to spread the costs of health care among a big general pool, and to make that work, you have to cover everything,” Tipton said.
About 20 states, including
In
Businesses with 50 or fewer employees are exempt, while religious organizations may be exempt if beliefs and practices prohibit IVF. Under new regulations,
The state is home to Shady Grove Fertility which calls itself a national leader in fertility research, and has locations throughout the
“[Shady Grove Fertility] is of course supportive of any measures that might enable or increase patient access to care,” said
Coverage for infertility treatment has expanded over the past seven or so years as states have passed and expanded mandates for coverage of both preservation and treatments such as IVF.
“I’m hopeful that that trend will continue and that these vulnerable patients continue to be protected,” aid Reinecke, whose group focuses on cancer patients who often must undergo treatment that causes infertility. “I do think it would be unfortunate if that promise was not fulfilled.”
Reinecke said Trump’s comments caught her off guard, particularly after the
While IVF enjoys “enormous” support that cuts across the political spectrum, “if people wanted to protect it, they would protect it,” said Frye, of the Women & Families group. “At the end of the day, there is a cohort of people who really want to deny access to a wide range of reproductive health care.”
Amid such a backdrop, however, an increasing number of large employers have begun offering infertility treatment coverage, viewing it as a way to attract young workers. Companies such as Google, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon offer such benefits, often through third-party vendors.
Amazon boasts that more than 30,000 of its employees in the
“Now more than ever, employees are looking to their employers for support in all areas of their lives,”
It’s difficult to say what share of treatment is generally covered by insurance because insurers and employers consider it proprietary, Tipton said. In his view, employer opposition remains a key obstacle.
“All we’re pushing for is that disorders of the reproductive system be treated like any other medical condition,” he said.
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