Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Chairman of the House Government Operations subcommittee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), sent a letter to Director Kiran Ahuja in support of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) stated interest in expanding Federal medical coverage to include infertility diagnosis and treatment, which includes accessing assistive reproductive technology (ART), such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).
“The choice to build a family is a fundamental right for all Americans. People should not have to take on substantial medical debt to grow a family. Yet, despite the prevalence of infertility and diversity of family structures, the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) program – our Nation’s largest employer-sponsored group health insurance program – currently only offers limited infertility treatment, and it is often prohibitively expensive,” the members wrote.
“We strongly support the coverage of ART services in federal health care benefits and urge OPM to build on its efforts to ensure Federal employees can afford fertility treatments by requiring every FEHB program carrier to provide ART treatment coverage going forward,” the members added.
Duckworth and Connolly were joined by Senators Van Hollen, Gillibrand, Booker, Hirono, and Reps. Velazquez, Wild, Payne, Carter, Bass, Norton, Doyle, Lynch, Trone, Cleaver, Raskin, Kilmer, Wexton, Houlahan, Allred, Larson, Chu, and Cicilline.
Full text of the letter follows and is available here.
Dear Director Ahuja:
We write to express our support for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) stated interest in expanding Federal medical coverage to include infertility diagnosis and treatment, which includes accessing assistive reproductive technology (ART), such as in vitro fertilization (IVF). It is in our national interest for the Federal Government to recruit and retain the most effective Federal workforce, and to do so, we must ensure federal health benefits cover the needs of working families. Providing medical coverage for ART services is critical to ensure Federal agencies can compete with the private sector for top talent and promote optimal health outcomes among their employees.
A survey commissioned by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association found that one in every eight couples face challenges while conceiving, and that does not even include the many LGBTQ+ couples who may wish to utilize ART to start and grow families. The survey findings indicate that employees without infertility treatment coverage often express dissatisfaction with such employer-sponsored coverage. Moreover, in certain cases, this deficient health insurance coverage is a causal factor in individuals seeking new employment from organizations that do provide family-friendly coverage of infertility services, such as comprehensive access to ART.
The choice to build a family is a fundamental right for all Americans. People should not have to take on substantial medical debt to grow a family. Yet, despite the prevalence of infertility and diversity of family structures, the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) program – our Nation’s largest employer-sponsored group health insurance program – currently only offers limited infertility treatment, and it is often prohibitively expensive. We agree with your program call letter that, “more could be done to assist with the financial burden of ART treatment for those who may require it.” If negotiations for the 2023 cycle have completed, we urge you to ensure coverage of ART remains an FEHB benefit going forward.
The benefits of modernizing insurance coverage for employees seeking fertility treatment are not limited to retention. Evidence also indicates that coverage for such medical services also alleviates certain health conditions associated with fertility challenges, including depression, stress, and anxiety. In addition, employees may feel more valued by their employers, recommend the company to others based on such satisfaction, and boost productivity. Currently, 20 states require that state-regulated commercial plans cover infertility treatments. These productivity benefits help explain why many states and the private sector are leading in expanding availability of coverage for medical services addressing infertility.
Federal employees provide essential, often underappreciated, work that is necessary to keep our government functioning, and they should be provided access to affordable family planning services. OPM’s proposed modernization of the FEHB Program to urge insurance plans cover comprehensive ART services will ensure that our best civil servants will stay in public service and create and build their families. It will also empower the United States Government to lead by example and demonstrate the importance and benefits of family-friendly workplaces.
Providing all Federal Government employees with access to ART treatment, irrespective of an infertility diagnosis, would make family building more affordable and ensure the Federal Government remains a competitive employer. We strongly support the coverage of ART services in federal health care benefits and urge OPM to build on its efforts to ensure Federal employees can afford fertility treatments by requiring every FEHB program carrier to provide ART treatment coverage going forward.
Sincerely,
