This widens the gap for low-income people, even when they have health coverage. Very few states require private insurance plans to cover infertility services and only one state requires coverage under Medicaid, the health coverage program for low-income people. Most people who use fertility services must pay out of pocket, with costs often reaching thousands of dollars. While some private insurance plans cover diagnostic services, there is very little coverage for treatment services such as IUI and IVF, which are more expensive. Fertility treatments are expensive and often are not covered by insurance. While there are several forms of fertility assistance, many services are out of reach for most people because of cost. This could either be due to a diagnosis of infertility, or because they are in a same-sex relationship or single and desire children. Many people require fertility assistance to have children. Transgender individuals undergoing gender-affirming care may also not meet criteria for “iatrogenic infertility” that would qualify them for covered fertility preservation. LGBTQ individuals also face heightened barriers to accessing fertility care, as they often do not meet definitions of “infertility” that would qualify them for covered services.This is a result of many factors, including lower incomes on average among Black and Hispanic women as well as barriers and misconceptions that may dissuade women from seeking assistance with fertility. Fewer Black and Hispanic women report ever having used medical services to become pregnant than White women.This means that in the absence of insurance coverage, fertility care is out of reach for many people. Most patients pay out of pocket for fertility treatment, which can amount to well over $10,000 depending on the services received.Only one state Medicaid program covers any fertility treatment, and no Medicaid program covers artificial insemination or in-vitro fertilization. Fifteen states require some private insurers to cover some fertility treatment, but significant gaps in coverage remain. More often than not, fertility services are not covered by public or private insurers. Despite a need for fertility services, fertility care in the U.S.An estimated 10% of women report that they or their partners have ever received medical help to become pregnant. This includes men and women with infertility, many LGBTQ individuals, and single individuals who desire to raise children. Many people require fertility assistance.
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