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Advocacy Update

As many of you may be aware, following overwhelmingly positive votes in both the State Senate on May 31st (27 yeas to 7 nays, 2 absent/not voting) and State House on June 6th (104 yeas to 41 nays, 6 absent/not voting), Public Act 05-196: s.S.B. 508 An Act Concerning Health Insurance Coverage for Infertility Treatment and Procedures was presented to the Governor for her signature.

On Friday, July 1st and again during a formal ceremony on Wednesday, August 17th, Governor Jodi M. Rell signed this insurance mandate which changes our current state law from insurers merely offering infertility insurance to employers to insurers and employers must cover infertility as a disease within certain treatment parameters. The following is the web link to the Public Act's final language: http://www.cga.ct.gov/2005/act/Pa/2005PA-00196-R00SB-00508-PA.htm

Actual policy start dates would override the law’s October 1, 2005 effective date (ie. State or municipal plans that started July 1, 2005 would not be impacted until after their new policies are negotiated for July 1, 2006 start date).

Additionally, please be aware that a number of employers/companies will not be required to cover this mandate because they're either self-insured and/or exempt by federal ERISA laws (ie. Walmart or other large companies headquartered in other states not affected by Connecticut state law). Again, the 10/1/05 effective date and the law's language will only apply if your employer/company is a business with its headquarters based in Connecticut.

Background
Public Act 05-196: An Act Concerning Health Insurance Coverage for Infertility Treatment and Procedures

* Lifetime maximum benefit of 4 cycles of ovulation induction
* Lifetime maximum benefit of 3 cycles of intrauterine insemination (IUIs)
* Lifetime maximum benefit of 2 cycles of In Vitro fertilization (IVF) with not more than 2 embryos implanted per cycle.
* Age Requirement – under 40 years old.
* Limits coverage to individuals who have maintained coverage under their policy for at least 12 months.

Ongoing Advocacy by Resolve of Greater Hartford / 2006 Session
Our Chapter will need to keep its advocacy efforts ongoing, not only for this infertility insurance mandate now but also going forward. Now that sSB 508 has become law as Public Act 05-196, we will need to work on having its restrictive language amended during future Connecticut General Assembly Legislative Sessions.

We wish to ask that all of our beloved Connecticut volunteers and members of both Chapters remain mindful that in the future we may need to turn to some State politicians who disagreed with this legislation. It is vital that we all keep our emotions separate from the reality that the 1989 language has been changed from “offer” to this 2005 language of “cover” to provide better treatment for some current and future patients.
Our future advocacy efforts may include adoption and other family building legislation which will benefit from the momentum we have all provided in organizing these past five years’ of advocacy efforts. Our work is far from done.

Please feel free to correspond with us through our advocacy email account: resolvectadvocacy@yahoo.com.

Thank you for your continued time and devotion to this cause.
We will provide information as it is received.

We urge you to not rely on our information and contact your employer's Human Resources person / or your health insurance company directly concerning your specific situation.

Janice Falk and Jen Kanios
Advocacy Co-Chairs
RESOLVE of Greater Hartford