SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Gov. JB Pritzker says IVF treatment is protected in Illinois despite Alabama and other Republican states trying to ban the reproductive healthcare. Pritzker and Illinois Democrats are committed to removing barriers to the treatment this spring.
"They want to take away your right to contraception," Pritzker said about Republicans. "They want to take away your right to IVF. They want to take away your right to end a pregnancy that is an ectopic one or one where your doctor and you make a decision that this is unhealthy to move forward with."
The governor told reporters in Chicago this week that people from other states who want to have children using IVF should come to Illinois. While Republicans in the U.S. Senate blocked Sen. Tammy Duckworth's plan to protect access to IVF for all Americans, Pritzker said Illinois will ensure those productive rights are codified.
"For families who want to have children, we ought to be helping them access doctors and access the procedures that they need," Pritzker said. "I personally know many families that have used IVF as their method."
Pritzker said Illinois Democrats will fight against a "right-wing endeavor to limit freedoms women have to make choices for themselves."
Gov. JB Pritzker answered questions about IVF treatment during an unrelated press conference on February 28, 2024.
Sen. Natalie Toro (D-Chicago) wants to require insurance companies to cover expenses for standard fertility preservation and follow-up services for any interested patient, even if they haven't been diagnosed with infertility.
"I have witnessed many women, including myself and those close to me, experience profound anxiety about running out of time to start a family," Toro said. "I've had heavy conversations expressing our dreams about having a family while facing financial barriers that limit our ability to preserve our fertility."
Many people have paid up to $15,000 for the procedure without insurance coverage. Another bill could require companies with more than 25 employees to provide insurance coverage for diagnosis and treatment of infertility.
"It's not easy to pay. So, having that coverage and allowing that will allow a family, especially someone who may be sick, to be able to have children later in life," said Sen. Cristina Castro (D-Elgin).
A separate plan could require insurance companies to cover IVF, gamete intrafallopian tube transfer or zygote intrafallopian tube transfer if a physician recommends the treatment based on certain findings.
Sen. Michael Hastings (D-Frankfort) said a constituent faced a serious problem after she met with her doctor and planned for an IVF procedure. The woman called her insurance company to confirm the procedure was covered, but the insurer told her she had to go through an IUD procedure first.
"In my mind, it baffles me. Who is an insurance company to tell a middle aged woman who wants to have a child that she can't go directly to the treatment," Hastings asked. "Is it because of cost? Is it because of policy or is because of something else? They should listen to the doctor, especially when it comes to that."
Each of the proposals have been assigned to the Senate Insurance Committee.
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