In a big win for LGBTQ and single people looking to start or grow their families, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont (D) has just signed a bipartisan bill expanding coverage of fertility health care to be more inclusive.
Previously in Connecticut, private insurance companies had only been required to cover fertility treatments for people who had been diagnosed as “infertile” after regular, unprotected sexual intercourse (usually for six to 12 months, depending on the person’s age), which obviously didn’t work for single people or many queer couples.
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), however, had in 2023 updated its guidelines for what counts as infertility, in order to be more inclusive of and equitable to LGBTQ and single parents. It now includes “The need for medical intervention, including, but not limited to, the use of donor gametes or donor embryos in order to achieve a successful pregnancy either as an individual or with a partner,” as IÂ reported earlier. While the ASRM definition has no legal weight, it is nevertheless often used as a standard by insurers and policymakers. New Jersey, for example, cited the ASRM definition when it expanded access to infertility insurance coverage in 2024; California used a similar definition in legislation the same year.
The new Connecticut legislation (HB 5374; now Public Act 26-33) is likewise clearly aligned with the ASRM standard, adding to its definition of infertility: “the need for medical intervention, including, but not limited to, the use of donor gametes, donor embryos or a gestational surrogate, to establish a pregnancy either as an individual or with a partner.”
Governor Lamont signed the new fertility bill last Thursday, after it passed the legislature in early May. He highlighted it in a press release about his Pride Month proclamation, where he also noted the recent enactment of Public Act 26-77, which “consolidates Connecticut’s hate crimes laws, eliminating procedural barriers that have historically impeded prosecution of bias-motivated crimes against LGBTQ+ individuals.”
Only six other states (California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, New Jersey, and New York), plus D.C., require private insurers to cover fertility treatment care and are explicitly inclusive of LGBTQ people in that coverage, per the Movement Advancement Project. Connecticut is now the seventh.
Fertility Access Connecticut, a coalition of LGBTQ+, reproductive health, and fertility care advocates who have been working for improved and equitable access to fertility care, applauded passage of the bill. Patience Crozier, director of family advocacy at coalition member GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), said in a press release, “This bill represents an important?step forward to ensure Connecticut’s definition of infertility?for the private insurance market reflects the standard of care, which provides that LGBTQ people and people who need medical care to start and grow?their families?can access?fertility?health care.”
Gretchen Raffa, chief policy and advocacy officer at Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, added, “We applaud the legislature for strengthening our state law to make fertility health care more accessible and inclusive of all people. This is especially important in a time when more threats to our reproductive freedom continue coming from the federal government, making it harder for people to decide whether, when, and how to build a family. With the passage of H.B. 5374 more people will have the freedom and power to make personal decisions about their bodies, lives, and futures.” She praised Insurance and Real Estate Committee Co-chairs Senator Jorge Cabrera (D) and Representative Kerry Wood (D), along with committee members and Representatives Raghib Allie-Brennan (D) and Tammy Nuccio (R), for leading the effort to pass the bill.
Yes. Bipartisan support for a bill that helps LGBTQ families. It can be done.
The coalition sees more work ahead, though, as Connecticut’s current law requiring fertility care coverage only applies to private insurance plans, not to the state’s Medicaid program (HUSKY), something they hope to change. As Matthew Blinstrubas, executive director of Equality Connecticut, said, “We’re happy that Connecticut has widened the universe of people who can create families to include queer families with private insurance. We’ll continue fighting for families covered by HUSKY who should not be left behind.”