Dr. Lauren VanDeHey speaks at a press conference on Tuesday in favor of legislation to require insurers to cover infertility treatment. (Photo by Erik Gunn/Wisconsin Examiner)

Treatments for infertility can cost tens of thousands of dollars, leaving some couples to borrow huge sums to cover the expense and others to decide against having children at all.

Lawmakers are circulating a draft bill to change that by requiring health insurers in Wisconsin to cover infertility procedures. If the measure is enacted, Wisconsin would join 22 states and the District of Columbia in providing some form of coverage for fertility treatments, according to advocates.

“Infertility is a medical issue,” said state Rep. Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire) at a Capitol press conference Tuesday. “And like any other health condition, it deserves the medical treatment to be affordable and accessible. Yet right now, too many individuals and couples are forced to choose between financial stability and the chance to start a family. That’s a choice no one should ever have to make.”

Emerson is the lead Assembly author of the proposal, along with Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison), the lead Senate author.

Roys described infertility as a deep source of disappointment for many couples who want to have children. “One of the things that it shouldn’t do, though, is bankrupt you,” she said. “Everyone should be able to access treatment for health conditions and diseases like infertility without regard for the type of insurance you have.”

Dr. Bala Bhagavath, an infertility specialist based in Madison, told reporters that he previously practiced in New York and Rhode Island, where state laws mandate coverage for infertility treatments. Relocating to Wisconsin “has been a rude awakening,” he said.

“Although some patients get coverage for diagnosis of their condition, most pay out of pocket for both diagnosis as well as treatment,” Bhagavath said. “It’s quite common for patients to take out loans and second mortgages so that they can build a family. I’ve had patients taking a second job or moving south of the border to Illinois as they would get insurance coverage for infertility treatment.”

Dr. Lauren VanDeHey, a medical resident in obstetrics and gynecology, said that as a cancer survivor she underwent a procedure to preserve embryos to avoid the risk of damage from chemotherapy and radiation. She was able to get free medication and the cost of some of her in vitro fertilization services discounted, but is still faced with a $17,000 bill she and her husband  will have to pay off over the next several years, she said.

“I am fortunate I will be able to pay these debts off when I complete my medical training,” she said. “For others, taking on this expense is simply not an option. Support for this bill needs to be a bipartisan effort because cancer and infertility can affect anyone.”