A federal judge this week approved a landmark class-action lawsuit between Aetna and same-sex couples in New York who claimed the insurance giant discriminated against them and other LGBTQ customers searching for fertility treatment.
Aetna, a subsidiary of CVS Health Corp., agreed with the couples in October to start covering artificial insemination for all of its customers nationally and work toward providing equal access to costly in vitro fertilization procedures.
The judge's approval of the settlement marks the primary time that LGBTQ couples previously denied fertility coverage within the U.S. will find a way to hunt reimbursement.
Emma Goidel and her wife Ilana Caplan filed a lawsuit against Aetna in 2021 after the medical insurance company denied several of their requests to cover their fertility treatments. The couple, who were represented by the National Women's Law Center, said they spent greater than $50,000 out of pocket to conceive their second child.
“LGBTQ+ people deserve to be parents just as much as anyone else on the planet,” Goidel said. “I hope that if people can sign up for compensation, queer people who have been on the journey to becoming parents and have faced insurance hurdles will feel like they are not alone.”
Aetna declined to comment. A spokesman for CVS Health Corp. said previously The company was pleased with the resolution of the case and was “committed to providing quality care to all people regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Thirteen states require insurers to cover fertility treatments for same-sex couples who cannot conceive on their very own. in line with RESOLVEa national infertility association. However, the law exempts firms with self-financed insurance policies where the employer directly pays for worker claims.
“Sometimes it's really uncomfortable to talk to your employer or your human resources department about what benefits are being offered, especially if those benefits have to do with the desire to start a family,” said Allison Tanner, an attorney on the National Women's Law Center.
Similar lawsuits have been filed against other insurance giants, including UnitedHealthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Those firms didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment on the Aetna settlement.
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