WC Wisconsin News

State Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) and State Rep. Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire) recently introduced legislation that would allow infertility to be classified as a disease that insurance would have to cover.

The Building Families Act would prevent many families from having to pay expenses out of pocket, as 12% of women in their child-bearing years are affected by infertility. A fifth of those women do not have an explanation for why they are infertile. According to the CDC, the number of women who wait until their late 30s to give birth for the first time has increased nine times in the last forty years, according to Spectrum.

“Choosing when to start a family is one of the most personal decisions an individual can make," Emerson said, according to Wis Politics. "For those who are experiencing infertility issues or for same sex couples, finances should never get in the way of them wanting to start a family. Having love, not money, should determine what makes a family.”

Of the one in eight couples who struggle to conceive or maintain a pregnancy, only a quarter have the financial resources to treat infertility. Fertility treatments can cost over $10,000 out of pocket. Nineteen states have already passed similar legislation that includes insurance coverage of infertility, according to WIS politics.

“Insurers would have to cover fertility treatment and procedures, under legislation unveiled last week by @SenKeldaRoys and other Dem lawmakers," WI Health News said in a tweet. 

Dr. Bala Bhagavath, a reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist, said the bill is "extremely important" for the good of Wisconsin economy and citizens' health, according to Wis Politics.

“The United States Supreme Court ruled in 1998 that reproduction is a major life activity and any condition that interferes with reproduction should be regarded as disability," Bhagavath said.