Connecticut could become the 12th state in the nation to require insurers to cover couples seeking infertility therapy, if legislation passed by both that state's House and Senate is signed by the governor. The bill, which would mandate coverage of infertility diagnoses and treatments by individual and group health insurance policies, was overwhelmingly approved in the Senate late last month. The state House followed suit just weeks later.
It now awaits a decision from Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell. She will either sign or veto it. Reportedly, Rell has not made her intentions known.
Group Applauds Bill's Passage
A patient advocacy group, RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, is applauding the passage of the bill, calling it a "tremendous step toward assisting Connecticut families struggling with infertility."
"RESOLVE's Greater Hartford and Fairfield County Chapters were vital in getting this legislation passed," said Joseph Isaacs, CAE, the group's President and CEO. "We congratulate our RESOLVE chapters in Connecticut and the many volunteers who worked tirelessly on this effort."
Infertility Insurance Mandates
Currently, eleven states require insurance providers to cover the cost of infertility treatment. The law is known as a "mandate to cover", meaning policies automatically include the cost of infertility treatment coverage. However, companies that self-insure are exempt from state regulation. The states currently with "mandates to cover" on their books include Arkansas, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.1
Connecticut, in addition to California and Texas, currently require health insurers to offer coverage of infertility services, but companies or individuals aren't necessarily covered in these states.2
If the pending legislation in Connecticut is signed by the governor, it would become law in that state by October 1.
1. Fertility Neighborhood. States That Require Insurers to Cover Infertility. Available at: http://www.fertilityneighborhood.com/content/financing_your_care/
state_mandated_coverage_428.aspx. Accessed June 8, 2005.
2. Fertility Neighborhood. States That Require Insurers to Offer Infertility Coverage. Available at: http://www.fertilityneighborhood.com/content/
financing_your_care/state_mandated_coverage_427.aspx. Accessed June 8, 2005.
John Martin is a long-time health journalist and an editor for Priority Healthcare. His credits include overseeing health news coverage for the website of Fox Television's The Health Network, and articles for the New York Post and other consumer and trade publications.
