| Infertility is a major medical problem for millions of | | | | If you are lucky or mobile, you will live in a state that |
| women in the United States. Over 9 million women in | | | | is progressive enough to have required that health |
| the U.S have used fertility services in an attempt to | | | | insurers selling coverage in their state provide some |
| become pregnant. Odds are that millions more would | | | | sort of infertility coverage. States such as Arkansas, |
| like to have a chance of getting fertility medical help, | | | | California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, |
| but they can't afford it and their insurance doesn't | | | | Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New |
| cover it. The only other way of possibly affording | | | | York, Rhode Island, Texas, and West Virginia all have |
| fertility treatments is to go into debt for the $15,000 | | | | state laws that require insurers provide some sort of |
| - $20,000 or more needed to cover in vitro | | | | fertility coverage. As you might expect, the amount |
| fertilization (IVF) or other fertility costs. | | | | of insurance coverage required is uneven and varies |
| Insurance companies, PPOs, HMOs, have typically | | | | greatly from state to state. |
| avoided paying for infertility treatments under the | | | | For example, some of the state mandated insurance |
| reasoning that they are not medically necessary. | | | | plans only cover the monitoring of the fertility |
| Never mind the fact that the vast majority of | | | | procedures used such as ultrasounds, blood tests, |
| fertility problems can be successfully diagnosed and | | | | and so on. And while, to be sure, this is useful, the |
| treated with medical procedures. Of course, this | | | | couple will still be looking at coming out of their |
| attitude is an insult to the millions of Americans who, | | | | pockets for the remaining infertility treatments. |
| through no fault of their own, find themselves unable | | | | The state of Illinois requires that insurers provide |
| to bear children without help. They might as well say | | | | coverage for IVF, artificial insemination, and other |
| that treatments for common diseases such as | | | | fertility treatments. Louisiana, in contrast, does not |
| arthritis, back pain, and knee problems are not | | | | require insurers to provide coverage for IVF or even |
| necessary. | | | | fertility drugs. It also exempts self insured employers |
| The term "not medically necessary" has a lot of | | | | from having to offer any sort of fertility coverage. |
| wiggle room and seems especially ludicrous when | | | | For now, in order to prevent surprises down the |
| many insurance policies do cover drugs such as | | | | road, the best that any couple can do is to shop |
| viagra. No, the very real and unspoken problem, from | | | | around for the best insurance plan possible and go |
| the insurers standpoint, is just that they consider | | | | over the plan with your insurance agent before you |
| fertility treatments too expensive. | | | | begin any fertility treatment. |
| Unfortunately, many couples diagnosed as infertile, will | | | | Until some sort of universal health coverage manages |
| not find out that their health coverage does not | | | | to pass the legislatures and is signed into law, millions |
| include infertility until they read the small print in their | | | | of Americans suffering from infertility and hoping for |
| insurance policy. | | | | a miracle, will simply have to wait. |