Kudos to Senator Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) for introducing the Family Act of 2011. On May 12th Senator Gillibrand introduced into the 112th Congress Senate, Bill 965. If you have been planning your family and the high cost of in vitro fertilization (IVF) has been standing in your way then now is the time to contact your U.S. State Senator and urge him/her to support this Bill.
As introduced this Bill would amend the current federal tax code and allow eligible individuals a credit against the taxes they owe for the taxable year the qualified infertility treatment expenses were paid or incurred of 50%! Yes there are some income limitations and other limiting provisions should you be fortunate enough to have health insurance that provides for partial coverage of in vitro fertilization, but still a 50% tax credit would go a long way towards making IVF affordable for many. Most health insurance with any IVF coverage still has very high deductibles and/or co-pays so a 50% tax credit would likely save you thousands of dollars.
Best of all the Bill also has provisions for those who would become infertile due to treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy or surgery. These individuals are often faced with sudden and unexpected decisions and are not prepared to deal with the costs associated with IVF. Senator Gillibrand’s Bill would make those decisions easier.
As the Bill points out the World Health Organization formally recognizes infertility as a disease; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 3,000,000 Americans have infertility; and only a small percentage of those with health insurance have any health coverage for IVF.
Act now! This is a most compassionate piece of legislation for those unable to start their own family. Contact your US Senator and support the Family Act Bill of 2011. It’s working its way through Congress and would become effective next year if passed. Don’t let this Call to Action slip by.
Sheldon B. Josephs, FACHE, is the Executive Director of Reproductive Science Center of the San Francisco Bay Area.
