Infertility is a medical condition, and effective treatment exists. The Wisconsin Building Families Act would close the gap between a diagnosis and a family by requiring insurance to cover fertility care.
What the bill does
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The Wisconsin Building Families Act would require private health insurance plans and the state employee health plan to:
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Cover the diagnosis and treatment of infertility, including IVF and the full range of care doctors recommend.
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Cover at least four egg retrievals, with unlimited embryo transfers, following medical guidelines.
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Cover fertility preservation, such as freezing eggs or sperm, for people whose cancer treatment or other medical care could cause infertility.
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Treat fertility care like other covered care, with no extra deductibles, copays, or benefit limits just because the diagnosis is infertility.
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Cover people who need donor eggs, donor sperm, or a gestational carrier to build their families.
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This bill requires coverage to be included in insurance plans. It doesn't just require insurers to offer it as an extra.
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Who it helps
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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, regardless of marital status.
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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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Cancer patients in their reproductive years can lose the chance to have biological children if they can't afford fertility preservation before treatment starts.
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Single people and LGBTQ+ families need the same medical care to have children, and deserve the same coverage.
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Why it matters now
The bill has been introduced in three legislative sessions in a row and has never received a committee hearing. A version of this coverage was also included in the governor's last budget proposal and was taken out before the budget passed. Meanwhile, 25 states and D.C., including Minnesota and Illinois, already require some fertility coverage. Wisconsin requires none.
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What it costs
In states that already require this coverage, premiums have gone up by less than 1%, about a cup of gas station coffee per member per month. Coverage also leads to healthier pregnancies and fewer high-risk multiple births, because patients no longer feel pressure to transfer several embryos at once.
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What it doesn't do
The Building Families Act is about whether insurance pays for care. It doesn't change any law about embryos.
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FAQ
Isn't fertility treatment optional? No. Infertility is a recognized medical condition, and treatment is medical care prescribed by a doctor. Some people can't get pregnant without it because of blocked tubes, very few remaining eggs, or a partner's low or absent sperm. Others need it after cancer treatment. Fertility treatment is no more costly than a C-section or a knee replacement; the difference is that insurance doesn't cover it.
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Who needs fertility care? People of every background. About half of infertility cases involve male factors [VERIFY framing]. Cancer patients may need fertility preservation before treatment. Single people and LGBTQ+ people may need medical help to build their families. Infertility doesn't check your politics, zip code, or income.
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Will this raise everyone's premiums? Barely. In states that already require this coverage, premiums have gone up by less than 1%, about a cup of gas station coffee per member per month. Most employers that already offer the benefit report no significant increase in medical costs.
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Why not leave it up to employers? Most employers don't offer fertility coverage, and those that do are mostly the largest companies. Wisconsin already requires insurance to cover other diagnosed medical conditions. Infertility shouldn't be treated differently.
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Why don't people just adopt? Adoption is a wonderful way to build a family, and it should be a choice, not a substitute for medical care. It also can't meet the need: in 2024, about 570 Wisconsin children were adopted from foster care, while more than 172,000 Wisconsin women have experienced infertility.
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Does this bill have anything to do with embryo laws? No. The bill is about whether insurance pays for diagnosis, treatment, and fertility preservation. It doesn't change any law about embryos.
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Is this a partisan issue? No. Building a family isn't a political position. Our coalition includes people from every State Senate district, and a majority of Americans support requiring insurance to cover fertility treatment.
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