15 US States That Mandate Insurance Covers Fertility Treatments, AND IVF?

There are only fifteen states in the US that have laws in place to include fertility treatments in their insurance coverage. However, it seems that 3 out of those states do not cover the cost of IVF. In fact, everything to do with IVF is specifically excluded. Possible motivations for not covering IVF could be:

• it is risky, in that it often takes several cycles to "take" and even then there's no guarantee the baby will be carried to term


• extremely expensive


• those states simply don't need more people; their infrastructure can only just keep up with the constant influx of folks as it is.

Which are these states that refuse to contribute to the cost of IVF?

California, Louisiana and New York

The remaining 12 states that do have laws in place to cover fertility treatments, including all currently understood methods of assisted reproduction technology (ART) are

Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maryland, Arkansas, Ohio, West Virginia, Illinois, Texas, Montana and Hawaii

In a recent survey, (August 2010) currently in process via a Facebook page for IVF support, California came in as the most expensive state, with one set of would-be parents found their cost of IVF as much as $34,000 and weren't done yet! Another California hopeful reported a deal she had found that was $22,900 for 6 cycles with a 100% money back guarantee if she did not "bring a baby home from the hospital." This seems some consolation, at least.

An Iowa patient reported in at $18,000; in Northern Colorado there is someone who is now pregnant at a cost of $20,000 and a Pennsylvania mom facing $12,000 per cycle if she commits to doing 3 of them. These and other numbers will be tabulated, and eventually made available in one convenient place, as yet to be determined.

With these kinds of huge dollar figures, and so few states requiring insurance companies to cover fertility treatment, it is not wonder that the whole concept of Medical Tourism has become mainstream. A round of IVF in India can cost as little as $3,000. Is that what we want in America? To force our people to go abroad to get what should be their birthright - the chance to have a family of their own. It's like we're embarrassed for these people and want them to go get it all organized in private... the way people used to go "take the waters" in Switzerland to dry out! Surely this is not the way for a 21st century super power to behave?