A lot of couples know how much a fertility treatment costs. Many people are struggling with infertility. Fortunately for them, in some states in the US, their medical insurance can cover the costs of in vitro fertilization. Despite the fact that LGBT couples can now get married legally in the US, they still don’t have the same rights as heterosexual couples.
- There are only 8 states in the US where insurance covers fertility treatment.
- From the law’s point of view, LGBT couples can’t be infertile.
- Same-sex couples and single women need to pay for fertility procedures.
Equal Access To Fertility Treatment
For those who don’t know, an IVF procedure costs more than $13,000. Other additional costs could add up to hundreds of dollars every month. Although heterosexual couples can receive fertility treatment for free, same-sex couples don’t have equal access to these types of procedures. This means that they have to pay out of their own pocket if they want to have a baby.
Since LGBT couples can’t conceive a baby they need fertility treatments even more than heterosexual couples do. In order to have equal access to these procedures, LGBT couples are starting to lobby for a change.
In the US, the insurance companies cover fertility procedures in only 8 states. Each state has a different way of approaching this concern. For instance, in Hawaii, insurance covers only IVF if a woman received sperm from her husband, not from anybody else.
The problem is that insurance companies stated that LGBT couples don’t actually meet the criteria of infertility. Due to the fact that it is defined as having heterosexual, unprotected intercourse for a year without getting pregnant, LGBT couples can’t be infertile. This shows that same-sex couples still need to fight in order to have equal rights as heterosexual couples.
Other categories of people who are affected by these regulations are single women. They also don’t meet the criteria and have to spend their own money on fertility treatment despite having insurance. LGBT couples are now lobbying to get equal access for everybody to free IVF treatment.
In order for fertility treatments for LGBT couples to be covered by their insurance, the legislation should remove requirements which dictate that the sperm and egg should come from a married couple. Therefore, it would also expand coverage for surrogates. This way, both LGBT couples and single women can benefit from equal access to fertility treatments.
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