News Release

July 6, 2005

Contact: Maureen McGuire, 860-679-4523
e-mail: mmcguire@nso.uchc.edu

UConn Experts Applaud Passage of New Law  for Infertility Insurance Coverage

Gov. M. Jodi Rell Signed Legislation Today

Farmington, Conn. – Specialists at the Center for Advanced Reproductive Services at the University of Connecticut Health Center today applauded the passage of legislation, Senate Bill 508, which will assist Connecticut families who are having difficulty conceiving a child. The bill will require most individual and group health insurance policies in Connecticut to cover the cost of diagnosis and treatment of infertility.

“This is a great first step toward assisting Connecticut families who are struggling with infertility,” said Claudio Benadiva, M.D., the Center’s IVF laboratory director.

Under the legislation, certain individual and group health insurance policies will be required to cover “medically necessary expenses” relating to infertility treatments, including in vitro fertilization and other procedures. The bill will take effect October 1 of this year.

Highlights of the bill include:

• Lifetime maximum benefit of four cycles of ovulation induction
• Lifetime maximum benefit of three cycles of intrauterine insemination (IUIs)
• Lifetime maximum benefit of two cycles of IVF with not more than two embryos implanted per cycle
• Limit on coverage to individuals who have maintained coverage under their policy for at least 12 months.
• Coverage for individuals up to age 40

There is, however, an age requirement for receiving coverage for the various approved treatments – women must be under 40 years old.

“This does bring up certain concerns,” said Donald Maier, M.D., chief of the division of reproductive endocrinology at the UConn Health Center. “Nationally, nearly 15 percent of IVF cycles occur in women 40 years old or older. That statistic is also representative of what we see in our practice. We are concerned that this bill does not meet the needs of this patient population as well as it could,” he said.

Another area of concern is related to the lifetime maximum benefit of two IVF cycles with not more than two embryos implanted.

“We know that the ability to undergo multiple cycles can greatly improve a woman’s chances for success with IVF. Moreover, the restriction of not being able to transfer more than two embryos per cycle is unprecedented in similar mandates across the country,” adds John Nulsen, M.D., the Center’s medical director.

Dr. Nulsen noted that this part of the bill is clearly an attempt to address growing concerns over multiple births associated with advanced reproductive treatments. “We are also very concerned about multiple pregnancies. Our team puts a tremendous focus on evaluating embryo quality so that we can transfer as few as possible, while still maintaining strong pregnancy rates. The appropriate number of embryos to transfer, however, should be based on clinical need and left between physician and patients,” he said.

The Center for Advanced Reproductive Services has been nationally recognized for its ability to minimize higher order pregnancies while maintaining pregnancy rates above the national average in women 35 and younger.

The Center offers many advanced techniques to help patients achieve successful pregnancies. For more information about The Center, please call (860) 679-4580 or visit the website at www.fertilitycenter-uconn.org.

The University of Connecticut Health Center includes the schools of medicine and dental medicine, John Dempsey Hospital, the UConn Medical Group and University Dentists. Founded in 1961, the Health Center pursues a mission of providing outstanding health care education in an environment of exemplary patient care, research and public service. To learn more about the UConn Health Center, visit our website at www.uchc.edu.

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