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IVF treatment: MN bill would require insurance companies to provide coverage
Minnesota lawmakers heard testimony on a bill that would require insurance companies to cover in vitro fertilization treatment.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota families who need medical help to have children are hoping the third time is the charm to get lawmakers to require insurance companies to guarantee coverage for in vitro fertilization.
READ MORE: IVF treatments, fertility coverage mandated by health plans under new proposal
MN bill to insure in vitro fertilization
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Increased IVF access for veterans proposed
A focus of both Democrats and Republicans this year has been increasing the access to in vitro fertilization (IVF). A new bill called the Warrior Infertility Act would be the first new bill in a decade aimed at expanding access to IVF for veterans. FOX 9’s All Day spoke with Rep. Kelly Morrison and former Army Combat Medic Jenna Schmidtke to learn about the proposal.
Big picture view:
About one in six people in this state experience infertility and I-V-F treatment can run in the tens of thousands of dollars.
The Catholic Church still objects to it because they equate embryos to children and a lot of embryos are left behind during fertility treatment.
But fertility doctors say insurance coverage typically makes the process safer and can reduce the number of embryos used.
The Minnesota Building Families Act would require IVF coverage in large group health plans where there’s no religious objection.
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IVF treatments, fertility coverage mandated by health plans under new proposal
Both Democrat and Republican lawmakers are proposing a bill that would make infertility treatment and standard fertility preservation services required to be covered by health insurance plans in Minnesota.
What they're saying:
For Miraya Gran, president of Minnesota Building Families, insurance coverage could decide whether they'll be able to add to their family.
"My husband and I took out a second mortgage and used retirement savings to have our daughter, who just turned five last month," Gran said. "We still have two embryos left but without insurance coverage we can't afford to add to our family and time is ticking for us."
Maggee Hangge, from Minnesota Catholic Conference, said there are alternatives.
"In many cases, by getting to the root cause and treating the underlying symptoms, pregnancy can be achieved," Hangge said.
Dig deeper:
The Trump administration has endorsed IVF treatment and tried to make the medication cheaper, but it hasn’t pushed for an insurance mandate.
The Source: This story uses information gathered at the Minnesota State Capitol and previous FOX 9 reporting.