Health plans are now covering fertility services for same sex couples.
Current insurance law already requires insurers to cover infertility services. The latest mandate came from Governor Cuomo and the NYS Department of Financial Services on Thursday. It requires insurers to cover out-of-pocket expenses for fertility treatments such as testing and therapeutic donor insemination procedures before qualifying for coverage.
State mandated benefits only apply to fully-insured policies — purchased either by individuals who buy coverage on their own or get it through a small or medium-sized business. More than fifty-percent of New Yorkers have coverage under a self-funded plan that is not regulated by the State.
The proposal was included in Governor Cuomo’s 2021 State of the State address as part of a larger effort to protect the rights of women and LGBTQ New Yorkers.