REVOLUTION!

"People come in with depression levels that are equivalent to people who have metastatic cancer or heart disease," says Alice Domar, a Harvard professor, who runs a mind-body clinic for infertile couples in Boston. Hmmmmm...in some ways I wish we were back in Boston. Not just to avail ourselves of this woman's services, but also because Massachusetts mandates that infertility be covered by insurance!



It is inconceivable (haha am I pun-tastic, or what!) to me that most insurance covers no treatment for infertility. My company will cover the diagnosis of infertility, but won't pay for anything they consider treatment!!!! They will cover all pregnancy costs, though. Riddle me this, what group of I'm guessing men (it's my blog, and I'm going to blame over 40, rich, white men-natch!) decided that while pregnancy is a a medical condition; infertility isn't? If you're using logic* shouldn't infertility be covered and pregnancy not covered. After all, at some level, you choose to become pregnant, but you do not choose to become infertile. * Disclaimer: my use of logic is for demonstration purposes only. I do not want a flood of comments that I am wrong etc., etc.!)





Infertility is a DISEASE! There is something anatomically and/or physiologically wrong with your body! Insurance companies don't bat an eyelash at a diabetes diagnosis. How is insulin production different from reproductive hormone production?



Interestingly, many insurance companies do allow for surgical and medical treatments for men!



The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit recently issued an important decision on federal anti-discrimination law in Saks v. Franklin Covey Co. There, it held that an employer can deny coverage for infertility procedures done only to women. Doing so, accordingly to the court, constitutes neither pregnancy nor sex discrimination. While the opinion is well-reasoned and at least mildly persuasive, there is a strong argument to be made that the wrong result was reached.



To check out the rest of the article...http://writ.news.findlaw.com/grossman/20030128.html. It's fascinating, and I'm not quite sure how the decision was made.

Believe me, I know fertility treatments are expensive, but I think it is past time that insurance companies have some social accountability! Not just for infertility, but for all aspects of health care. Recently, my father-in-law had a blood test drawn to determine if he had cancer. This claim was rejected by his insurance company as medically unnecessary, BUT if he actually had cancer they would have paid of it!!!!! I just can't get over it! How do these bastards sleep at night? Do their employees have Stockholm Syndrome?