RESOLVE, the National Infertility Association, recently announced the results of its yearly “Fertility Scorecard” — and New York State fared pretty well, scoring a B. To put that into perspective, only five states earned an A rating.
RESOLVE evaluated states’ fertility programs on the following criteria: insurance coverage and mandates, the number of infertility support groups, the number of women who are seeking help to conceive, and the number of Society for Assisted Reproductive Technologies (SART)-approved fertility doctors.
Notably, RESOLVE also marked New York State with a blue dot. What does this mean?
“The blue dot signifies that your state may have legislation that we’re concerned about, and we want you to get involved,” Barb Collura, RESOLVE president and CEO, explained in Redbook magazine.
At the end of May, state legislators drafted a bill that would require insurance companies to cover in-vitro fertilization (IVF) costs. That’s huge news for couples struggling to get pregnant or carry a pregnancy to term, given that — without insurance — IVF can cost a staggering $10,000 to $25,000 per treatment.
Those who support the bill believe that the astronomical costs significantly hinder couples’ ability to conceive with fertility treatments. Opponents believe that the tax hikes — inevitable in order to pay for insured IVF services — are too steep for the average tax payer.
It is a contentious issue, and it will likely be some time before lawmakers reach a final decision. Until then, prescription infertility drugs and some of the screenings preceding IVF are covered by most insurance plans.
Regardless, women undergoing fertility treatments need to have open discussions with their doctor or healthcare practitioner. Many couples do not know, for example, that the likelihood of uterine fibroids (painful uterine growths experienced by three out of four women) increase during pregnancy and high-estrogen fertility treatments.
