Bill > SB1347

This bill mandates that various Arizona health insurance providers, including hospital service corporations, medical service corporations, health care services organizations, and disability insurers, must cover standard fertility preservation services for individuals of reproductive age who are diagnosed with cancer and whose medically necessary treatment is likely to cause infertility, beginning January 1, 2027. These services include procedures for preserving eggs (oocytes), sperm, and ovarian tissue, along with at least three years of storage, and prior authorization requests for these services must be treated as urgent and responded to within 72 hours. The bill defines "iatrogenic infertility" as infertility caused by medical treatment, "religious employer" broadly to include various non-governmental entities with sincerely held religious objections to fertility preservation coverage, and "reproductive age" based on established medical society guidelines. Importantly, religious employers can request an exemption from these coverage requirements if they conflict with their religious beliefs, provided they notify prospective subscribers of the exemption. The bill also clarifies that individuals can still purchase supplemental insurance for fertility preservation at their own expense and specifies that if an individual switches insurance plans within the three-year storage period, neither the previous nor the new insurer is responsible for the remaining storage costs.