Fertility Access CT (FACT) Campaign Public Hearing Testimony Guide and Template H.B. 5378 and H.B. 5240
Insurance and Real Estate Committee Public Hearing
Tuesday, March 5 at 9am in room 1B of the Legislative Office Building or by zoom.
The public hearing can be viewed via YouTube Live or may be on CT-N
Bill we support with suggested amendments:
- H.B. No. 5378 (RAISED) AN ACT CONCERNING HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF INFERTILITY
Testify IN PERSON or on Zoom:
-
You MUST SIGN UP TO TESTIFY via Zoom. Individuals who wish to testify in person or via Zoom must register using the On-line Testimony Registration Form. Registration will close on Monday, March 4, 2024 at 3:00 P.M.
- Speaker order of approved registrants will be listed in a randomized order and posted on the Insurance and Real Estate Committee webpage on Monday, March 4 at 6:00 P.M. under Public Hearing Testimony. Hearings can last for several hours and depending on the subject matter, there can be a long wait.
- If you do not have internet access, you may provide testimony via telephone. To register to testify by phone, call the Phone Registrant Line at 860-240-0510 to leave your contact information.
- Please submit written testimony using the On-line Testimony Submission Form. Testimony should clearly state your name and related bill number. Speakers will be limited to three minutes of testimony. The first hour of the hearing is reserved for Legislators, Constitutional Officers, Chief Elected Municipal Officials and State Agency Heads. The Committee encourages witnesses to submit a written statement and to condense oral testimony to a summary of that statement. All public hearing testimony, written and spoken, is public information. As such, it will be made available on the CGA website and indexed by internet search engines.
Testifying Virtually: Turn on your camera and unmute
-
Join the zoom a few people ahead of you using the link in your email invitation or from your calendar event.
- When you initially join the zoom, it will be a webinar format. When it is almost your turn, the Committee clerk will make you a “panelist” and you must accept the request.
- When it is your turn, make sure to turn on your camera and unmute
- You may begin with acknowledging the chairs of the committee "Senator_____, Representative______" "and members of the committee."
- Introduce yourself very distinctly so the transcriber can understand, and mention your town and the number and title of the bill(s) you'll be speaking on.Indicate right away whether you support the bill, oppose it, or are offering suggestions to improve it.
- Then explain your reasoning. Keep your remarks short; 3 minutes max and/or 1 page. When you finish, remain on screen for a moment, in case committee members want to ask questions. Focus on YOUR story or why the subject personally impacts you, your family, community, etc.
Submitting Written Testimony If you cannot attend that day, you can still submit written testimony via the On-line Testimony Submission Form.
Testimony Template Insurance Committee:
PLEASE: replace the italicized with YOUR OWN WRITING
Dear Senator Cabrera, Representative Wood, and distinguished members of the Insurance and Real Estate Committee:
My name is [Insert Your Name Here], I am from [city or town]. I am [mention your organization or group affiliation, or other appropriate and relevant information].
I am testifying in support of raised House Bill 5378 An Act Concerning Health Insurance Coverage for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Infertility. Fertility health care is essential for building families. This bill will improve access to fertility care by aligning fertility health care insurance coverage with the medical standard of care, which clearly includes LGBTQ+ and single people, among others, so that all Connecticut residents have the opportunity to build their family.
Explain why this issue is important to you.
For anyone personally impacted:
- If you or someone you know have been diagnosed with infertility or needed fertility health care to build your family, what was your/ their experience like?
- Did you have insurance coverage for the medical care you needed?
- How would passing this law impact you/your community?
- Focus on why this bill is important to YOU and YOUR community! The legislators will benefit from hearing about your personal connection to the issue. Stories are powerful!
For health care providers:
- How would this bill help your patients? What are the challenges your patient/people face with accessing assisted reproductive technology?
- What would it mean if more people had access to fertility health care coverage?
- Have you seen patients who could not continue getting the health care they needed due to cost barriers?
For allies/advocacy organizations:
- What motivates you to advocate for improved access to fertility care coverage?
- How does the issue relate to your work and larger threats to reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ rights?
Use the talking points below to explain why legislators should support the bill and what the bill seeks to accomplish. Please make sure to write comments in your own words in paragraph form - it’s the personal touches that make the testimony more compelling!
- Family-building healthcare is an important aspect of reproductive rights. The outcry after the terrible Alabama Supreme Court ruling that effectively ended fertility health care in that state reminds us of how many people value and need access to fertility health care.
- Current CT law requires private insurance providers to cover fertility treatment only for people who meet a limited definition of “infertility” that is defined in reference to heterosexual intercourse.
- Because single individuals and LGBTQ+ families are not included in our state’s narrow definition of infertility, they are typically excluded from this coverage requirement. The reality is for many people they require fertility health care to have children yet it’s often out of reach due to the cost of such health care.
- Limits on IVF and other fertility care especially burden LGBTQ+ families and transgender people — the same people facing so many attacks on their reproductive freedom, basic healthcare, and personal autonomy.
- About 9% of men and about 11% of women of reproductive age in the United States have experienced fertility problems.
- Paying out-of-pocket for fertility care is not accessible for most people who do not have fertility insurance coverage. The cost of fertility care, such as In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), can range from a thousand to tens of thousands of dollars.
- Black women are almost twice as likely as white women to suffer from infertility. They are also half as likely as white women to seek help for infertility.
- Our state’s current law disproportionately excludes people of low income and Black and Hispanic residents because Medicaid does not cover fertility care.
- This is an important reproductive justice issue. Reproductive justice includes the right to have children and having the access to resources people need to build their families.
- The Alabama Supreme Court ruling set off chaos in Alabama for patients that rely on IVF to build their families and is the clearest demonstration yet of the many ways anti-abortion laws, including “personhood” laws, threaten contraception, fertility care, and all sexual and reproductive health care.
- Connecticut was a leader in protecting children through parentage reform in 2021. It is unfinished business to ensure that people in Connecticut can build their family and realize their dream of having children and nurturing the next generations of our communities.
We urge the Committee to amend H.B. 5378 with language that:
- Removes outdated coverage requirements and aligns with the current medical standard of care.
- Adopts the most up-to-date, nationally accepted definition of infertility updated by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) in October 2023 that includes coverage for LGBTQ+, single, and patients often excluded from coverage including those suffering from endometriosis or pelvic pain. It also includes coverage for people for whom conception and/or pregnancy via intercourse may not be possible for reasons related to other health conditions like endometriosis or pelvic pain.
- Includes fertility preservation for oncology, gender-affirming care, and other patients who will be undergoing treatment that could compromise their fertility. The current law and bill language requires insurers and patients to rely on guidance from a CT Department of Insurance Bulletin to interpret what infertility care is “medically necessary.” H.B. 5378 should be amended to clearly protect patients to preserve this path to family building because of medical treatments.
- Clarifies the scope of coverage that key services are provided equally but with reasonable limits.
Lastly, add a concluding statement and thank them. Here’s an example:
I support raised H.B. 5378 with suggested amendments. Access to family-building health care such as IVF is essential health care for so many people. I urge the committee and legislature to vote favorably to improve fertility health care coverage and update our state law, which is outdated and doesn't reflect the standard of health care, so more Connecticut residents have access to the essential medical care they need to build their families.
Thank you for your time,
[Your Name]
[Address]
Testimony Template Human Services Committee:
Thursday, March 7, 11:00 am in Room 2A of Legislative Office Building or Zoom
Bill we support:
H.B. No. 5240 (RAISED) AN ACT CONCERNING MEDICAID COVERAGE FOR INFERTILITY TREATMENT.
Testify IN PERSON or on Zoom:
-
You MUST SIGN UP TO TESTIFY via Zoom. Individuals who wish to testify in person or via Zoom must register using the On-line Testimony Registration Form. Registration will close on Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 3:00 P.M.
- Speaker order of approved registrants will be listed in a randomized order and posted on the Human Services Committee webpage on Wednesday, March 6 at 6:00 P.M. under Public Hearing Testimony. Hearings can last for several hours and depending on the subject matter, there can be a long wait.
- If you do not have internet access, you may provide testimony via telephone. To register to testify by phone, call the Phone Registrant Line at 860-240-0510 to leave your contact information.
- Please submit written testimony using the On-line Testimony Submission Form. Testimony should clearly state your name and related bill number. Speakers will be limited to three minutes of testimony. The first hour of the hearing is reserved for Legislators, Constitutional Officers, Chief Elected Municipal Officials and State Agency Heads. The Committee encourages witnesses to submit a written statement and to condense oral testimony to a summary of that statement. All public hearing testimony, written and spoken, is public information. As such, it will be made available on the CGA website and indexed by internet search engines.
Submitting Written Testimony If you cannot attend that day, you can still submit written testimony via the On-line Testimony Submission Form.
PLEASE: replace the italicized with YOUR OWN WRITING
Dear Senator Lesser, Representative Gilchrest, and distinguished members of the Human Services Committee:
My name is [Insert Your Name Here], I am from [city or town]. I am [mention your organization or group affiliation, or other appropriate and relevant information].
I am testifying in support of House Bill 5240 An Act Concerning Medicaid Coverage for Infertility Treatment. This bill will improve access to fertility care for people who have HUSKY health insurance, who have historically been excluded from accessing fertility care due to the high cost of that care. This bill has a companion bill in the Insurance and Real Estate Committee that will align fertility health care insurance coverage with the medical standard of care, which clearly includes LGBTQ+ and single people, among others, so that all Connecticut residents have the opportunity to build their family.
Use the talking points from the Insurance Committee template above to explain why legislators should support the bill and what the bill seeks to accomplish. Please make sure to write comments in your own words in paragraph form - it’s the personal touches that make the testimony more compelling!
Lastly, add a concluding statement and thank them. Here’s an example:
I support raised H.B. 5240 because this is an urgent reproductive and economic justice issue for Connecticut residents because all people have the right to have children regardless of who they are or how much they earn. Access to family building health care such as IVF is essential health care for so many people. I urge the committee and legislature to vote favorably to improve fertility care coverage so more Connecticut residents have access to the essential medical care they need to build their families no matter how they are insured.
Thank you for your time,
[Your Name]
[Address]
Tags: