EVERYONE
DESERVES
REPRODUCTIVE
CARE
Protect IVF
Reproductive Freedom is a Human Right.
KEEP IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION LEGAL.
On February 16, the Alabama Supreme Court issued a ruling that declared embryos “children” under Alabama law, an unprecedented step in narrowing crucial reproductive healthcare access for thousands of women. Our Caucus is committed to delivering quality, affordable healthcare for every Pennsylvanian, including expanding ALL reproductive freedoms. If you want to end a pregnancy, you should have that freedom. If you want to expand your family and use IVF to welcome a child into your life, you should have that freedom. We will never stop fighting for those freedoms until we ensure safe and accessible reproductive rights without barriers.
Senate Bill 475 – Insurance Coverage for Infertility Treatments
This legislation amends The Insurance Company Law of 1921 by adding language that will provide for the coverage of infertility treatments and medication.
Many couples across Pennsylvania and the nation want nothing more than to conceive a child and start a family. Unfortunately, for some couples, this is not possible without the use of costly infertility treatments that are not always covered by health insurance policies. My legislation would require all health insurance policies that provide pregnancy-related benefits within the Commonwealth to also provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility.
Senate Bill 602 – Ensuring Insurance Coverage for Infertility for all Pennsylvanians
This legislation will require certain employer-sponsored insurance plans to cover infertility services. According to the RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, 19 states have passed fertility insurance coverage laws. Each of Pennsylvania’s border states has an infertility insurance coverage mandate. Data shows that costs associated with expanded access are nominal and offset when more people get covered. Massachusetts, the state with the most comprehensive mandate for infertility coverage, found that the cost of coverage was one of the lowest among its mandated benefits at $2.49 per member per year.
Latest News
State Senator Jay Costa Reaffirms Commitment to IVF, Reproductive Healthcare
HARRISBURG − March 4, 2024 − On February 16, the Alabama Supreme Court issued a ruling that declared embryos “children” under Alabama law, an unprecedented step in narrowing crucial reproductive healthcare access for thousands of women. In response to this action,...
Republicans Struggle to Explain Away Their Hypocrisy on IVF
When the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos could be considered children, it put an unpopular target on the most effective fertility treatment in the country. It also put a target on the backs of Republicans, with many GOP politicians suddenly facing...
The implications of Alabama’s IVF high-court ruling for Pennsylvania families and politicians
Julia Santucci hasn’t had an easy journey to parenthood, but she’s one of the lucky ones. Lucky enough to have had access to in vitro fertilization. Lucky enough that thanks to the procedure, she’s expecting a second child in May. Lucky that she and her husband are...
U.S. Senate Republican blocks legislation protecting in vitro fertilization
WASHINGTON — U.S. Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi blocked a bill from passing Wednesday that would have preserved access to in vitro fertilization nationwide, stalling a push by Democrats following a landmark Alabama state Supreme Court decision. The...
Billboards blaming Trump for Alabama’s IVF ruling are going up in Philadelphia
Billboards slamming former President Donald Trump over a recent Alabama State Supreme Court ruling, which has threatened access to in-vitro fertilization, are going up in battleground states — including Pennsylvania. The Democratic National Committee is paying for...
A woman’s mission to make the fertility journey easier for couples
A report out this year by the World Health Organization found that 1 in 6 people globally are affected by infertility. There are options to help couples struggling, but it's often a long wait to get into the clinics. It's timely and labor-intensive, expensive and...
Haley Palve shares pregnancy update after difficult IVF journey: ‘Best 15 weeks’
Haley Palve is updating fans on her pregnancy journey. The wife of former Pittsburgh Penguins player Oula Palve recently took to Instagram with an update on her first 15 weeks of pregnancy after a challenging IVF process. Palve, also a "The Bachelor" alum who appeared...
Couple fights and wins insurance battle over fertility treatments
SALTSBURG, Pa. — About 10% of men and women who try to have a baby are impacted by infertility, prompting many to seek treatments like in vitro fertilization. Those treatments can cost tens of thousands of dollars, but Action News Investigates has learned some...
New “infertility” definition could broaden coverage in Pennsylvania
A new, more expansive definition of "infertility" could result in more help for hopeful LGBTQ+ and single parents. Why it matters: Broader insurance coverage of fertility services, like egg freezing, for all people could be in the offing after a recent decision by an...
Trans-inclusive fertility clinic to open in Pittsburgh within a year
A trans-inclusive fertility clinic is expected to open in Pittsburgh next year, offering sperm and egg donations, surrogacy services, in vitro fertilization, hormone therapy and more, aiming to address shortcomings in healthcare in Pittsburgh for the trans community....
Couple speaks out about embryo donation after fertility treatment
Fertility treatments can be a very emotional process filled with complex decisions, including what to do with extra embryos. It's a dilemma Ryann and Richard Hendrickson had to face. The married couple's effort to donate their extra embryos was first reported by The...
They had extra embryos. So they logged on to Facebook.
Ryann Hendrickson’s embryos appeared under a microscope like tiny rings of translucent bubbles, each about the width of a human hair. These were leftovers: fertilized eggs that Hendrickson had created with her husband’s sperm through in vitro fertilization. She no...
Fertility health coverage is still hard to come by in many states
As fertility rates drop and more women postpone childbirth into their 30s and 40s, more states are considering mandating that private insurers cover fertility treatments to help people start a family without the crushing out-of-pocket expenses. Such laws would help...
Fertility Preservation Allows Mother to Have Twins After Breast Cancer Treatment
After undergoing a double mastectomy at a Pennsylvania hospital in 2014, 27-year-old Katie Robb Sewall learned her breast cancer, which was originally thought to be stage zero was actually stage 3. It had spread from her breast ducts into her lymph nodes. “We were...
Pittsburgh to cover the cost of infertility treatments for its employees
Next year, Pittsburgh will offer free fertility coverage to its employees, the city announced Wednesday. “City officials heard from employees that they would like the coverage,” said Tim McNulty, Mayor Bill Peduto’s spokesman. “The city is always seeking ways to...