Local Advocate Brings IVF Coverage Bill to State Legislature

RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association applauds Oregon native Stacy Ochoa for working with Senator Lee Beyer (D) to bring IVF coverage bill for fertility services to Oregon residents who need medical intervention to help build their family. There are approximately 116,000 Oregon residents currently living with infertility and even more when you factor in the LGBTQ+ community who would also benefit from this coverage.

“After struggling for many years with infertility and being faced with the extreme emotional, physical and financial aspects of this disease and hearing about other states mandating coverage, I felt Oregon was lagging behind in supporting families. I reached out to my Senator, Lee Beyer, to see about proposing legislation for the 2021 session, as taking action was the best way I knew to funnel my frustration and turn it into something positive. Helping to build families in Oregon should be a priority and coverage of a disease such as infertility is health care! For a state that promotes itself as being pro-reproductive health, we must fix this inequity and ensure equitable access to care for everyone and for the health and financial wellbeing of Oregonians, it must be done now,” said Stacy Ochoa, a RESOLVE advocate and founder of Oregon Fertility Advocates.

Oregon is one of many pro-family states that is exploring opportunities through state insurance laws to help its residents increase access to medical treatments, like In vitro fertilization (IVF), to help them start or build their family. Nineteen other states have passed similar legislation. Earlier this year, the city of Portland instituted a policy to provide insurance benefits for infertility and IVF treatments to all city employees. And the Public Employees’ Benefit Board (PEBB) just announced plans to increase infertility coverage that includes IVF for plan year 2022. SB 168 would provide similar coverage to all Oregon residents in the individual and group insurance markets.

“RESOLVE is honored to support Oregon Fertility Advocates and work together to help Oregonians access the care they need to build their families. This is truly a grassroots movement with constituents sharing their stories and demanding action from their lawmakers. The message is simple: everyone has the right to build their family and if they need medical intervention to reach their goal, it should be available to all. SB 168 will make greater access to care a reality in Oregon,” said Betsy Campbell, Chief Engagement Officer for RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association.

Today SB 168 is currently with the Joint Ways and Means Committee where it needs to be assigned a sub-committee and hearing before the legislature adjourns on June 27, 2021.