SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law to expand access to fertility services, including IVF.
The legislation requires large group health care service plans and disability insurance policies to provide coverage for diagnosing and treating infertility, including fertility services, like in vitro fertilization, known as IVF.
For a basic cycle, IVF can cost more than $20,000 in California, according to Pacific Fertility Center.
The high cost has forced some Californians to make a tough decision.
"Do I decide to start a family or do I decide to look and get a house?" said State Senator Caroline Menjivar (D-San Fernando Valley) who authored the bill, called SB 729.
It's a decision Menjivar and her partner weighed a few years ago. Ultimately, they decided to go with the house and hold off on fertility services at the time.
She hopes the legislation will make affording fertility services in California a bit easier.
"One of my best friends had to pay upwards $35,000 just for the first child and that's not even IVF, that's IUI. Another best friend, right now, is going to Mexico to start services on fertility because it is about 75% cheaper there," Senator Menjivar said.
Her office said this applies to businesses with more than 50 employees. The legislation also includes the LGBTQ+ community and unpartnered individuals.
The legislation requires coverage for a maximum of three complete oocyte retrievals with unlimited embryo transfers.
This comes just a couple weeks after legislation to establish a nationwide right to IVF failed to advance in the U.S. Senate for a second time.
In a statement, Governor Newsom said, in part, "As Republicans across the country continue to claw back rights and block access to IVF – all while calling themselves ‘the party of families’ – we are proud to help every Californian make their own choices about the family they want."
But not everyone supports the legislation. The California Association of Health Plans is opposed to the bill. In a statement to ABC10, the association said the coverage requirement "is expected to raise health care costs by $182 million in the first year and increase to $329.9 million in year two."
During a committee hearing, the California Chamber of Commerce also expressed opposition, saying the bill will increase premiums on employers.
The policy does not apply to small group health care service plans which Menjivar's office said covers businesses with fewer than 50 employees.
The bill calls for the measure to go into effect on July 1, 2025, but in his signing message, Governor Newsom asked the legislature to move that to January 1, 2026, which would mean a six month delay. It goes into effect for government workers who get benefits from CalPERS in July 2027.
WATCH ALSO:
