State employee insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization proposed

The Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee considered a bill Feb. 21 that seeks to expand insurance coverage for state employees to include in vitro fertilization.

LB233, introduced by Lincoln Sen. Danielle Conrad, would amend the Nebraska State Insurance Program to provide coverage for in vitro fertilization as a special coverage made available uniformly to all state employees beginning July 1, 2025.

Coverage would be limited to a lifetime maximum of four completed egg retrievals for individuals who have been unable to conceive, produce conception or sustain a successful pregnancy through less expensive and medically viable fertility treatment. Employees would have the option to choose the coverage and would be responsible for paying the full premium.

The bill also would require that covered treatments and procedures be performed at facilities that conform to the standards and guidelines established by the American Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility.

Conrad said approximately 20 other states have taken steps to provide access to assisted reproductive technologies for their public employees.

“[LB233] simply provides an option for the state employees to use their own money to get this coverage if they’re struggling,” she said. “This is one … low cost way that would … help more families start or expand their families without costing the taxpayers.”

Bill Stock, a field representative with the Nebraska Association of Public Employees, testified in support of the measure. The high cost of infertility treatment often makes it unattainable as an out-of-pocket expense, he said, forcing many state employees to choose between taking on a significant financial burden or seeking other employment that provides IVF coverage.

“No employee should have to make such a difficult decision simply to access that kind of medical care,” Stock said.

Marion Miner testified in opposition to LB233 on behalf of the Nebraska Catholic Conference. He said in vitro fertilization is “highly unregulated” and that nearly three quarters of all U.S. IVF clinics offer screenings based on the sex of an embryo. Such tests provide an incentive to “screen out human beings based on desired characteristics,” Miner said.

The committee took no immediate action on LB233.