The Reality
Infertility is a medical condition, and effective treatment exists. What stands between a diagnosis and a family is coverage.
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1 in 6 people experience infertility in their lifetime.
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172,307 Wisconsin women have had difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term.
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25 states and D.C. already require some insurance coverage for fertility care, including Minnesota and Illinois. Wisconsin requires none.
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Black women experience infertility at about twice the rate of white women, and are about half as likely to be evaluated or treated.
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Insurance companies are choosing not to cover fertility treatment, leaving families with high out-of-pocket fees for care that insurance covers for other medical conditions. Insurers get to negotiate the cost of treatment. Families do not.
The Solution: The Wisconsin Building Families Act
The Wisconsin Building Families Act would end that gap by requiring insurance to cover fertility care, including:
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Diagnosis of infertility
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The full range of treatments doctors recommend, including IVF
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More than one round of treatment when it's needed
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Fertility preservation for people facing cancer treatment or other care that can cause infertility
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Equal access regardless of income, race, relationship status, or sexual orientation
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What coverage costs:
In states that already require this coverage, premiums have gone up by less than 1%, about the price of a cup of gas station coffee per member per month. Employers who offer it report no significant increase in medical costs, and coverage leads to healthier pregnancies and fewer high-risk multiple births.
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Building a family isn't a partisan issue. Coverage = families.