On Tuesday, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) led colleagues in writing a letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, urging the agency to provide guidance to states on expanding coverage for fertility services, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), through their benchmark plans before the end of 2024.

“Despite significant advances in the medical treatment of infertility, such as IVF, access to and affordability of this care is severely lacking in the U.S. Costs for a single cycle of IVF have recently been estimated to range from $15,000 to $20,000 on average and can exceed $30,000. Unfortunately, current insurance coverage for fertility treatments do not meet the growing need,” the Senators wrote.

Senator Booker also emphasized the importance of making fertility treatments more accessible and affordable in response to the challenges posed by legal restrictions following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, particularly in states like Alabama, where legal challenges to IVF access have emerged.

“Now, more than ever, it is crucial to protect the right to fertility treatments and increase access to these services. Therefore, we urge CMS to issue guidance to states on how to cover fertility services through their state benchmark plans and provide technical assistance to states seeking to achieve this coverage,” the Senators concluded.

The letter is cosigned by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR).