Everyone deserves access to care to build their families
That’s why SRM is working with RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association and a dedicated group of patients and professionals in Washington State to improve access to care!
Please join this grassroots movement and inclusive community! Whether you are a patient, professional, resolved, or just starting your family building journey, you are welcome! We invite you to join the new Washington State Family Building Coalition Facebook Group, created by fellow volunteers, to keep you up to date with the latest action alerts, legislative activity, and educational resources, and to serve as a virtual family building community where you can connect with others in your state. You can ask questions, learn advocacy skills, and more!
Act Now! WA Fertility Insurance Bill hearing is tomorrow, Jan. 18, 2023
January 17th, 2023
We are excited to update you on the Washington State Building Families Act (HB 1151/SB 5204). Both the House and Senate have scheduled hearings this week and everyone has the opportunity to support the bill. If you would like to take action, please do it today by signing up “PRO” on the House and Senate bills.
- Go to leg.wa.gov and select the tab “Participating in the Process” on the right side (or scroll down on your mobile device).
- Select “Get Your Position on a Bill Noted for Legislative Record”.
- Select House Bill first since that hearing is earlier.
- Select Health Care & Wellness Committee on January 18 at 1:30PM.
- Select HB 1151 Fertility Services Coverage.
- Select “I would like my position noted for the legislative record”.
- Select PRO.
- Submit registration at least one hour before the hearing (HELPFUL HINT: Do it now).
- Repeat the steps above for the Senate Health & Long-Term Care Committee on January 20 at 8:00AM for SB 5204 Fertility Services Coverage.
- If you want to submit written testimony instead, you can do that, but Resolve has lined up in-person, remote and written testimony, so voicing your PRO support FOR BOTH BILLS is all they need unless you want to do more; written comments will be accepted up to 24 hours after the hearing has started.
Please do all you can to help advance the WA State Building Families Act out of the Health Care Committees in both the House and Senate. Sign up PRO and email your lawmakers. And if possible, participate in Washington State Advocacy Day.
RESOLVE’s Washington State Advocacy Day (Virtual)
January 2022
In collaboration with the Washington Building Families Coalition. A dedicated group of advocacy leaders, patients, family building professionals, organizations, and fertility clinics coming together for the advancement of access to care for all Washingtonians.
Join RESOLVE and Washington Building Families Coalition for our first *virtual* Washington State Advocacy Day! At this FREE event, you will play a key role in helping the Washington State Building Families Act become law. By meeting with members of the Washington Legislature, you will be seen, and your story will be heard.
Washington State Advocacy Day is for you if:
- You believe all insurers should cover IVF.
- You believe fertility preservation should be covered for cancer patients and others whose medical treatment may cause infertility.
- You believe Washingtonians should have access to the standard of care they deserve.
Register now for this empowering free event and join our community of WA advocates to pass the Washington State Building Families Act in 2022! #BuildingFamilies4WA
Date: Wednesday, February 2, 2022
Time: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Register here: http://familybuilding.resolve.org/site/Calendar?id=65519&view=Detail
Update to Washington State House Bill 1730
January 2022
Announcement, exciting news! Washington State House Bill 1730 was filed this week on 01/03/2022. This is the proposed bill by the Washington State Family Building Coalition that would require health insurers to provide benefits for fertility and fertility preservation services in Washington State starting 01/01/2024. The bill is championed by Representative Stonier and there are already other legislators signing onto the bill. Subsequently, the companion Senate Bill 5647 was filed the next day by Senator June Robinson.
If you feel strongly that everyone should have equitable access to fertility services, this would be the right time to have a conversation, increase awareness, and even consider reaching out to your representative. You can use the link below to find the representatives for your district. Stay tuned for updates on the process as they become available. Read SRM’s blog post ‘Washignton State Infertility Insurance Mandate.’
Washington State House Bill 1730 Description
Find your Legislative or Congressional District
WSMA Supports New Fertility Coverage Mandate
September 2021
The Washington State Medical Association is now officially in support of legislation to mandate infertility treatment coverage in Washington state.
“… WSMA supports legislation requiring health insurance plans to include coverage for the diagnosis of and treatment for infertility, as well as standard fertility preservation services for cancer patients and others at risk for medically induced infertility.”
How can you help?
A few ways: Please consider emailing your legislator to set up a meeting to discuss your support to mandate infertility treatment coverage in WA state. Or write an email/letter to your legislator. This website can be used to find emails for your local legislators.
**Please be sure to email the legislator and cc their legislative assistant.**
Draft for email from patient advocate:
Dear ____________,
My name is ________ and I live in your district. I’d like to find some time to talk with you about the lack of insurance coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility.
Infertility has significantly impacted my life, and I’m not alone. I know there are many others in our community who are also struggling to pay for treatment, just in order to build a family.
Nineteen other states have laws mandating insurance coverage, but Washington does not. In fact, over the past three years, five states (Colorado, Delaware, New Hampshire, New York, Utah) have passed legislation.
I’d like to talk with you about the impact the disease of infertility has had on my life and what a difference insurance coverage could make. Please let me know if we can schedule a meeting. My email is __________ and my phone number is ###-###-####.
Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.
Your name
Insurance Coverage
August 2021
Do you think everyone deserves equal access to fertility treatment with insurance coverage in Washington state?
If so, share your story by August 20th. See below for how to submit your story or comments.
Has the lack of insurance coverage been a barrier to care or drained your savings? Has cost negatively affected your medical decisions and family building journey? Were you one of the lucky ones who had insurance or could afford treatment, but don’t think it’s fair that others are not so fortunate?
Share as much or as little as you want about your journey, but make sure your voice is heard.
The Department of Health is accepting written public comments regarding proposed legislation that would provide insurance coverage for fertility diagnosis and treatment in Washington.
Please send your comments no later than August 20th (before midnight) to sunrise@doh.wa.gov and cc: advocacy@resolve.org to make sure every voice is represented in the final report that will determine whether this pro-family legislation advances in 2022 or not.
Thank you for your quick response to this action item!
Voices of RESOLVE
~ From RESOLVE ~ 9/15/2020
Every day we are inspired by the volunteers of RESOLVE and the resolve of our volunteers.
You may be surprised to know that many of RESOLVE’s volunteers are also family building professionals. These professionals not only help patients as part of their day jobs, but they also spend their free time to support RESOLVE and our mission. By adding their voices to those of their patients and clients, they make the voice of the family building community even louder!
Special shout-out to our very own Dr. Lynn Davis. She’s advocating to make Washington the next state with comprehensive fertility insurance coverage. Her goal is to improve access to care for anyone struggling to build a family in The Evergreen State.
Dr. Davis, “Fertility testing, treatment, and preservation services should not be limited to only certain people with a certain employer or a certain income level. I advocate because access for all is the right thing to do.”
RESOLVE’s Washington State Family Building Survey
Share your family building story so we can educate lawmakers about the need for infertility insurance coverage in Washington State. Please complete the survey below and let us know if you would like to stay informed or become engaged in these advocacy efforts.
RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association is working with a dedicated group of patients and professionals in Washington State and we welcome your involvement!
Virtual Infertility Advocacy Day Update
On May 20th, SRM sent a team of volunteers, led by Drs. Lynn Davis and Angela Thyer, to participate in this year’s virtual 2020 Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill in D.C. As volunteers for Resolve, the national infertility association, in participation with the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), they joined over 400 advocates from all 50 states in phone and video meetings with their Senate and House Representative offices to tell their stories to help families grow.
We’re hopeful that through the efforts of these volunteers, access to family building will become available for all.
For more information, please visit resolve.org.
Access to family building options can be impacted by insurance coverage and by state and/or federal legislation. Together with RESOLVE.org, we’ll be using this page to bring you details about advocating for insurance coverage in Washington State, and for legislation that improves access to all family building options.
