State Infertility Insurance Law Indicators

Abstract

AbstractSince the birth of the first “test tube baby” in 1978, infertility treatment has gone from being seen as a scary and socially disruptive technology to a mainstream medical practice that ought to be routinely covered by medical insurance. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with the adoption of infertility insurance laws in the United States. Findings suggest that the requirement for infertility insurance coverage at the state level is associated with a lower percentage of Republican state legislators and more liberal policy preferences overall. The percentage of female state legislators, and females in the labor force as a percentage of the state population, were also investigated and found not to be significant. As the costs of infertility treatment continue to be burdensome for citizens, the question of whether insurers should be required to either provide or offer coverage is likely to recur, and remains unresolved in most states. Identifying factors that are associated with the establishment of infertility insurance laws may help inform the policy process as the issue continues to be raised both in state legislatures and as a federal policy initiative.