- Published: Friday, August 27, 2021 04:51 PM
SPRINGFIELD – Families will now receive greater transparency as to what fertility services are and are not offered under their insurance plans thanks to a new law championed by Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest).
It comes after conversations with a number of women who lived through issues with infertility and the barriers posed by lack of disclosure in employer-sponsored health insurance plans.
“Infertility is a difficult diagnosis for a family to receive,” Morrison said. “They may assume treatment will be covered, only to find out their insurance plan was written in another state and they’re stuck with sky-high out-of-pocket costs.”
Senate Bill 1905 – which was signed into law Friday – will require employer’s health insurance coverage to disclose a written list of services that are and are not covered if the plan is not written within Illinois.
Under previous Illinois law, fertility treatment – including in vitro fertilization – is required to be covered, but that’s only for policies written within the state. Women could assume they have this coverage because they work in Illinois, only to later learn their plan was written out of state. The new law will disclose what treatment is available up front, so families aren’t blindsided in an already stressful situation.
“We should ensure families know if they will receive the coverage they so desperately long for,” Morrison said.
Senate Bill 1905 takes effect immediately.
