Inconsistent Mandated Access to Fertility Preservation: A Review of Relevant State Legislation.

Abstract

With improvement in cancer therapies, there has been an increasing emphasis on survivorship, including options for fertility preservation. Fertility preservation is the process of either protecting or saving gametes or reproductive tissues for potential future procreation. Methods and outcomes of fertility preservation have similarly been rapidly advancing. Before initiation of gonadotoxic therapy, health care providers must consider future fertility of patients and provide options for fertility preservation. Nonetheless, the cost of fertility preservation can be prohibitory. Depending on a patient's state of residence, insurance may be mandated to cover, or offer to cover, the cost of fertility preservation. State legislation continues to change; however, legislation at the federal level has been proposed to make this coverage more cohesive. This commentary reviews current state legislation regarding mandates to cover the cost of fertility preservation for patients at risk for iatrogenic infertility and outlines the importance of developing federal legislation to improve patient access to care.