N.Y. Lawmakers Push to Expand Coverage for Infertility Treatments.To the dismay of New York New York, state, United StatesNew York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of health insurers, the state Senate passed a bill that would expand mandatory insurance coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility. Leslie Moran, a spokeswoman with the New York Health Plan Association, said the bill would expand current state law, which requires coverage for "reversible" conditions--such as endometriosis endometriosis (ĕn'dəmē'trē-ō`sĭs), a condition in which small pieces of the endometrium (the lining of the uterus) migrate to other places in the pelvic area. , the abnormal growth of tissue around the ovaries--that cause infertility. The New York Health Plan Association, a nonprofit organization Nonprofit Organization An association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well. Notes: Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. that rep-. resents 19 health maintenance organizations and eight prepaid health plans, opposes the measure, arguing that it will increase costs for all covered New Yorkers to benefit a small percentage of insureds, Moran said. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Kenneth LaValle Kenneth P. LaValle represents District 1 in the New York State Senate, which is comprised of Port Jefferson, Westhampton, Coram and Mastic, among other communities found on Long Island, New York. , requires coverage for infertility treatments for women age 25 to 44, who have been covered by their health insurer for at least 12 months prior to diagnosis. The bill specifies that infertility diagnosis and treatment must be in accordance with a physician's plan of care and generally accepted clinical guidelines as adopted by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is a professional association of medical doctors specializing in obstetrics and gynecology in the United States. It has a membership of over 49,000[1] and represents 90 percent of U.S. , and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. The bill's next stop is the state Assembly Insurance Committee, which has its own version of the bill. |
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