Drive for Insurance Coverage of Infertility Treatment Raises Questins of Equity, Cost

In 1998, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that individuals suffering from a disability related to their reproductive capacity are protected from discrimination under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Advocates for individuals and couples suffering from infertility are seeking to use this decision as leverage in their long-standing attempts to alter how infertility is viewed and addressed in the United States—particularly in the realm of insurance coverage. Not unexpectedly, however, these efforts face opposition from those who question the economic and societal costs of infertility treatment.