Aetna to expand fertility procedure coverage
The heath insurer will make intrauterine insemination benefits a standard plan feature.
A new Aetna move may be evidence that fertility care benefits are growing in popularity.
The CVS Health unit said it will make coverage for intrauterine insemination a standard feature in all eligible plans.
The new IUI coverage policy begins Sept. 1. It will become effective for employer plans when the plans renew, the company says.
A typical IUI cycle costs about $500 to $4,000, according to Fertility IQ.
Related: Fertility benefits: More affordable than employers think
The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans has found that coverage for fertility treatments of all kinds have been growing in popularity.
The percentage of plans included in the IFEBP surveys that cover fertility medications has increased to 32% this year, from 8% in 2016.
Resolve: The National Infertility Association promotes state and federal efforts to expand access to fertility care. It notes that state fertility insurance benefits requirements vary widely from state to state.
The federal government does not require fertility care coverage, and self-insured employer health plans are exempt from the state coverage requirements.
Members of Congress have introduced many fertility care bills.
Several would create income tax credits that people could use to help pay for fertility treatments.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., has introduced the Right to IVF Act, a bill that would set an in-vitro fertilization benefits mandate for self-insured group health plans as well as for individual health insurance policies, Medicaid plans and Medicare plans.