S8866

The New York State Senate passed legislation Tuesday to expand and clarify insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization treatment, addressing gaps in a 2019 law that have left many couples paying out-of-pocket for essential reproductive healthcare. Senate Print 8866, sponsored by Sen. Salazar, ensures that same-sex couples and LGBTQ New Yorkers cannot be excluded from IVF coverage and requires insurers to cover three complete cycles of the procedure with explicit definition of what constitutes a full cycle. The bill addresses a problem where insurance companies have been improperly defining individual steps in the IVF process as separate cycles rather than covering all steps needed to complete a single cycle. This fragmentation has forced couples to pay out-of-pocket for embryo transfers and additional cycles, and creates incentives for doctors to transfer too many embryos in a single procedure, risking poor medical outcomes. The measure passed 49-9, with nine Republicans voting against it: Senators Borrello, Gallivan, Helming, Mattera, Murray, O'Mara, Ortt, Tedisco and Walczyk. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment.