Will County Gazette

During the debate on House Bill 3709 amending the state insurance code with infertility coverage, Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) lauded the spirited discussion that led to the bill's passing, not before expressing concerns about its limitations and explaining his "no" vote.

House Bill 3709 was passed during the session after garnering a vote of 68 yesses against a vote of 43 noes.

"Right now, there’s a state mandate for fertility services, and the rule is you have to be trying naturally for a year to have a baby before you qualify for services, and to clarify, this only affects about 20% of insurance plans in the state, correct?" Batinick asked.

After Rep. Margaret Croke (D-Chicago), who was one of the bill's primary sponsors, clarified that it would only impact health insurance plans that the state can regulate, Batinick then centered on the factors that add up to insurance premium payments.

“Part of my concern is we keep expanding coverages on things that small businesses, the way they get their insurance, we keep doing these add-ons that nobody has to pay for, and its making insurance really expensive to have insurance in the state if you’re self-employed,” Batinick said.

The representative from Plainfield further quizzed Croke about its provisions.

“This allows If you’re a single woman you can go get fertility services paid for by your insurance so in essence being single can now be considered a medical condition?” he asked. “I think a medical condition should be to be getting medical treatment. To the bill, I think this is covering situations that aren’t considered a medical condition. I think insurance is for medical conditions. We have high insurance rates in this state, and we keep tacking on to it. This affects a small portion of people, and I would urge a no vote.”

Croke also said during the debate that the bill would help women, those over the age of 35 and LGBTQ couples.

House Bill 3709 would provide that the “coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility shall be provided without discrimination on the basis of age, ancestry, color, disability, domestic partner status, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.”

It would also change the definition of "infertility" to mean “a disease, condition, or status." That definition is based on a female not able to become pregnant or carry "after 12 months of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse if the woman is 35 years of age or younger, or after 6 months of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse if the woman is over 35 years of age,"  as well as other factors.