Senate debating bill to help women preserve hope of a family

CAPTION -- Physician members of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists meet with Representative Laura Fine, D-Glenview, at the Illinois State Capitol on April 11. Dr. Michelle Brown, University of Chicago Medical Center OB-GYN resident, is second from the right. The physicians were supporting House Bill 2617, legislation that provides insurance coverage for women with cancer who wants to preserve her ability to have a family.

SPRINGFIELD -- Bipartisan legislation to help families preserve the ability to have children when they face cancer treatments has passed the Illinois House overwhelmingly and is now under consideration in the Illinois State Senate.

The measure (House Bill 2617), which passed the House April 27 by a bipartisan 82-21 vote, would provide insurance coverage for infertility treatments for women and men with cancer.

“Radical surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy can leave patients infertile or unable to have biological children,” said Dr. Michelle Brown, a University of Chicago Medical Center OB-GYN resident physician who strongly supports the legislation. “Patients diagnosed with cancer are referred to fertility specialists who can offer options such as sperm or egg banking. Unfortunately, these fertility preservation options can be costly and many patients are shocked to find that even though it's a recommended treatment by their physicians and major medical organizations, insurance doesn't typically cover the associated costs.”

Current Illinois insurance law does not include fertility preservation as a covered item in private insurance policies for these young adult cancer patients. Insurance companies typically require a year of unsuccessful attempts at conception before they will cover infertility services, said Dr. Brown, adding that it’s too late for most cancer patients. Cancer patients need treatment — ovary stimulation, egg retrieval and cryopreservation of eggs or embryos — before receiving chemotherapy, Dr. Brown said.

The law will not be an additional burden on insurance companies because it will only affect about 1,000 people annually in Illinois, Dr. Brown said. She said that of the nearly 320,000 U.S. women diagnosed with breast cancer each year, 29,000 are 45 years old or younger. The risk of permanent infertility after chemotherapy – or “iatrogenic infertility” -- ranges from 20 to 70 percent, depending on the patient's age, type of breast cancer and treatment regimen, Dr. Brown said.

The chief Senate sponsor of the bill is Senator Laura Murphy, D-Des Plaines. The chief House sponsors is Rep. Robyn Gabel, D-Evanston, and other key sponsors include Rep. Laura Fine, D-Glenview and Rep. Steve Andersson, R-St. Charles.

Connecticut and Rhode Island recently became the first U.S. states to mandate insurance coverage of fertility-preservation services for cancer patients. Legislation is also being considered in nine other states.

The bill has the support of health organizations including the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, The American Society of Clinical Oncology, Gilda’s Club of Chicago, Susan G. Komen Chicago, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the Alliance for Fertility Preservation and Resolve, the National Infertility Association.