Fertility Preservation Across The Country

You were just diagnosed with cancer… and life saving treatment could impact your future ability to have a baby.

Imagine you are a woman seeking to undergo fertility preservation following a new diagnosis and your insurance company deems this procedure to be “elective”!?

As if you’d “elect” to have cancer?

Politely put = WTF!?

*This* can’t be right!

Unfortunately, in 40 of the 50 states in the U.S, this is the current reality for women seeking to put their eggs on ice for future use after their battle with cancer is fought and won.

Fighting for Parenthood After Cancer

Currently only 18 states have fertility insurance coverage laws, and eight states have fertility preservation laws for iatrogenic (medically-induced) fertility.

State Laws & Legislation

Many states have introduced bills that would compel insurers to cover fertility preservation procedures for cancer patients and others who are facing potential infertility as result of medical treatment.

ASCO: Comments and Controversies

Consistency in Insurance Coverage for Iatrogenic Conditions Resulting From Cancer Treatment Including Fertility Preservation

Journal of the National Cancer Institute

A Call for Fertility Preservation Coverage for Breast Cancer Patients: The Cost of Consistency

New York’s Fertility Coverage Mandate

Prior to 2020, it was rare to have coverage for fertility treatments like IVF or egg freezing, even when they were considered medically necessary.

California’s Fertility Coverage Mandate

California will require health insurance companies to cover the cost of fertility procedures for patients undergoing treatment that can make it difficult to have children.

First name

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Message - Please add why fertility preservation means something to you. A personal story, a friend who struggled, your own fertility experience. For example:

My name is_____. I am proud to share I am a cancer survivor who fought and won three battles with cancer during my 30s. My experience with cancer meant that my life saving treatment had a direct effect on my ability to become a biological mother.

If you are unaware, when you are diagnosed with cancer during your childbearing years, the recommended treatment plan that will save your life (surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and/or long-term drug therapy) will often result in infertility. Often patients have to choose between life saving measures and having a family (unless they have $15,000 to immediately freeze their eggs before treatment.)

6,700 Texans (approximately) between 15 - 39 years old will be diagnosed with cancer in 2023 and will be unable to have children unless they preserve their fertility. These procedures are not covered by most insurance companies and I would like to change that.

I am working with The Chick Mission and the Texans Protecting Parenthood After Cancer Coalition, composed of cancer patients, their families, health care providers, and cancer advocacy groups; to advocate for the passage of legislation to help cancer patients.

Please review:

Senate Bills
SB 477  (Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio) & SB 1277 (Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound)

House Bills
HB 1649 (Angie Chen Button, R- Garland) & HB 389 ( Nicole Collier, D-Fort Worth)

These bills would require health benefit plans regulated by the State of Texas to provide coverage for fertility preservation service to individuals with coverage who will receive a medically necessary treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, that the American Society of Clinical Oncology or the American Society for Reproductive Medicine has established may directly or indirectly cause impaired fertility. The bill requires the covered fertility preservation services to be standard procedures to preserve fertility consistent with established medical practices or professional guidelines published by those societies.

I hope that you will consider supporting this important legislation.

Together, we can protect parenthood for future cancer patients in our state.