Attorney Christine M. Hanisco, co-drafter of the legislation and Executive Board Member of RESOLVE New England, is pleased to announce that on August 1, 2019 Governor Sununu signed Senate Bill 279 Access to Fertility Care. The law will take effect January 1, 2020, and will require small and large group insurance plans to provide coverage for diagnosis and treatment of infertility, which affects 1 in 6 couples. The law will also require group insurance plans to provide coverage for fertility preservation when patients are undergoing medical treatment for other diseases and conditions when that treatment may impact their fertility. The bill’s prime sponsor Senator Martha Hennessey (D-Hanover) released the following statement:
“As a state with an aging population that wants to attract and retain young people in our state, it is critical for New Hampshire to work to help the 1 in 6 couples affected by infertility in our state. By requiring insurance coverage for infertility diagnosis and fertility treatments, SB 279 will help these Granite Staters who want to work and build their families in our state but who are currently making decisions based on financial concerns instead of what is in their best medical interest. I am grateful for the bipartisan support of this important bill and pleased to see it signed into law!”
Attorney Hanisco is grateful to all of the Senators and Representatives who supported this bill and to the Governor for signing it. Attorney Hanisco worked closely with RESOLVE New England’s Executive Director, Kate Weldon LeBlanc, Board Member Catherine Tucker, and Co-founder and President of Fertility Within Reach, Davina Fankhauser, in the drafting and lobbying for this important legislation. The bill also had the support of New Hampshire Women’s Foundation, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center – Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, New England Fertility Society, American Cancer Society, GLAD Legal Advocates & Defenders, Alliance for Fertility Preservation, the Northern New England Clinical Oncology Society, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and many of the Massachusetts based fertility clinics who serve New Hampshire residents.