My husband just sent me this link - I thought it was really interesting! I'm sure there's some correlation between higher IVF rates and states with IF insurance mandates, but I'm curious what other factors come into play for the variance from state to state.
I also thought it was interesting to see that Montana and Wyoming have no fertility clinics. What do you do if you live there?? Travel to another state for treatment? Get treatment at a regular ob-gyn?
honeydew / 7916 posts
This is interesting! I definitely think the mandates play a big part in this. If I remember correctly, it seemed like MA had a more generous mandate than NJ (which has a lot of loopholes)...or maybe that was just my perception! I think in mandate states REs are likely to recommend IVF sooner because they assume finances aren't an obstacle. The concentration of clinics is probably also a factor...where I live (in NJ), there are 4 clinics that do IVF within 10 minutes of me. I'd guess that people who live in a state without an IVF clinic end up traveling? Someone who lives in Maine and went through IF told me that the Boston area clinics aren't too far away.
bananas / 9628 posts
very interesting! i'm not at all surprised with the findings though. i live in MA and everyone here is required to have health ins and all private ins is required to cover IVF. we also have the highest maternal age upon first birth in the nation, so woman here start families much later than elsewhere so they're more likely to need assistance getting pregnant (more advanced degrees for women and highest cost for childcare in the nation explain why women here wait longer). it saddens me that there are whole states where woman don't have access to fertility treatments, that must make a trying time even more difficult.
pomegranate / 3388 posts
I think some of this is also just which states have a wealthier and more educated population. Those are the people who tend to wait well into their 30's to have kids, so IVF becomes more necessary. When we lived MA almost none of our friends were even thinking of having kids until their mid-to-late 30s. Now that we live in the midwest we're surrounded by people who were married w/ kids in their 20s.
grapefruit / 4703 posts
@spaniellove: My clinic in MA has an office in Maine. They only do appointments and monitoring (M-F) so for IUI/IVF and weekend monitoring they have to travel to the main clinic in MA.
I definitely think this is a combination of higher maternal age and insurance mandates. My insurance covers 6 fresh IVF cycles and unlimited IUI and FET. The financial coordinator at the clinic said it's the law, but I don't know if the number specifically is mandated or just that IVF is covered in some way.
pomelo / 5041 posts
My state is right in the middle. We only have a few fertility clinics in the whole state - in fact there isn't even one in our state Capitol. We also don't have mandated fertility insurance. In fact I'd venture to say anyone having that covered here is unlikely. However we have some fabulous clinics and I know many drive long distances to utilize them.
honeydew / 7916 posts
@Shutterbug: I think the mandate is different here. Each insurance company is allowed to decide their own coverage, and there are many ways they can deny IF coverage. For instance we're not covered by the mandate because our insurance is through an employer in a neighboring state.
@mrs. bird: Yes, it's not like couples in those states don't experience IF too.
pomelo / 5228 posts
Interesting. My state (WA) is on the higher end, and IF coverage isn't mandatory. But, we have a huge tech industry that is known for having good benefits, so I wonder if that helps.
pear / 1697 posts
Hmmm, it looks like the data is for where the IVF happened, not for where the person lives?
I bet a lot of the people getting IVF in DC are really from Maryland, Virginia, and/or Delaware.
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