Bill > H4551

This bill improves access to infertility treatment by expanding the definition of infertility and mandating comprehensive insurance coverage for fertility services across multiple types of health insurance plans. The bill defines infertility more broadly, including scenarios such as a physician's medical findings, the need for medical intervention like donor gametes or gestational carriers, failure to establish pregnancy after a specified period of unprotected sexual intercourse (12 months for those under 35, 6 months for those 35 and older), and reproductive impairments from various medical factors. The legislation requires insurance carriers to provide coverage for a wide range of fertility treatments, including six oocyte retrievals, unlimited embryo transfers, artificial insemination, surgical sperm extraction, third-party reproduction, and genetic testing of embryos. Importantly, insurers are prohibited from imposing discriminatory conditions, such as arbitrary limitations based on age or number of attempts, different medication coverage, or restrictions based on an individual's use of third-party fertility services. The bill also mandates that coverage be provided without discrimination based on characteristics like gender, sexual orientation, or marital status, and ensures that clinical guidelines for fertility treatments are transparent, current, and based on reputable medical society standards. The proposed changes apply to several sections of Massachusetts insurance law, aiming to make fertility treatments more accessible and equitable.

Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services

Joint Committee on Financial Services (Joint)

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4551