Gavin Newsom signs bill to expand IVF coverage in California, an election-year swipe at GOP

Insurance companies will soon be required to cover diagnoses and treatment for infertility — including in vitro fertilization — in California following a bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom Sunday.

IVF has been an optional treatment for insurers for decades. Senate Bill 729, authored by state Sen. Caroline Menjivar, D-Van Nuys, makes it a requirement.

“California is a proud reproductive freedom state — and that includes increasing access to fertility services that help those who want to start a family,” Newsom said in a statement.

The fertility treatment quickly became a symbol of the far-reaching impacts of Republicans’ efforts to restrict abortion and other reproductive care after it was temporarily blocked in Alabama.

The Alabama Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that embryos created through IVF are considered children and that anyone who destroys an embryo could be held liable for murder. The decision prompted many IVF clinics to halt treatment until the Alabama Legislature passed a law exempting them.

Republicans in Congress have since voted twice to block a bill to guarantee access to IVF nationally.

“As Republicans across the country continue to claw back rights and block access to IVF — all while calling themselves ‘the party of families’ — we are proud to help every Californian make their own choices about the family they want,” Newsom said.

Menjivar’s bill requires insurers to cover up to three oocyte retrievals, also known as egg retrievals, and unlimited embryo transfers.

It was supported by LGBTQ rights groups who said the treatment coverage provides equitable reproductive care. Menjivar, an out lesbian, said it will ensure queer couples do not pay more out-of-pocket to start a family.

The bill was opposed by organizations representing business and health insurance companies, which argued it would increase costs of coverage.

The new law was scheduled to take effect July 1, 2025. Newsom requested that its implementation be pushed to Jan. 1, 2026, as the state is in the process of updating its standards for commercial health insurance plans.

For plans through religious employers and CalPERS, the new requirements take effect July 1, 2027.

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