SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California will require insurance companies to pay for fertility coverage, making treatments like IVF accessible to millions more people.
The new law that Governor Gavin Newsom signed on Sunday also makes fertility treatments accessible to same-sex couples, removing the requirement that patients must try to conceive “naturally” for a year before becoming eligible – a measure which attracted the support of prominent members. of the LGBTQ+ community, including most recently the CEO of Grindr.
“As Republicans across the country continue to reclaim rights and block access to IVF – calling themselves ‘the party of families’ – we are proud to help every Californian make their own choices about the family he or she wants,” Newsom said in a news conference. statement.
The California law comes after members of Congress failed twice this year to pass bills protecting access to IVF nationally, and it has become an issue during the pre-election campaign. The increased attention on this issue has also renewed pressure on blue states like California to expand access. About fifteen other states also have IVF coverage requirements.
Only people with private insurance that the state can regulate will be covered, and there are exceptions for religiously affiliated employers and a delay for when it will apply to state employees to keep costs down.
Ultimately, approximately 9 million people would have access to IVF once the law is fully implemented. Only around a third of these people currently have IVF cover, and most are likely to see their out-of-pocket costs for treatment fall.
A report from the California Health Benefits Review Program predicted that the bill would increase premiums by more than $182 million in the first year (an increase of 0.12 percent) and by $329 million in the second year (an increase of 0.21 percent ) once it is fully implemented. That amounts to a premium increase of less than $4 for most people.
In the first year of the bill, contributions to CalPERS pension plans would increase by $32 million, and then by $49 million in the second year. As an employer, the state bears more than half of these costs.
