Course this all comes AFTER I pay like 15 grand for in vitro and testing- oh well...maybe it will help someone else.. :) I'm not sure how this works exactly- but thought I would pass the word around just in case!
Senate Bill 965
Family Act of 2011 (S. 965)
The financial burden of fertility treatment can be one of the most stressful parts of the entire fertility process. With more than 3,000,000 people suffering from infertility, out-of-pocket expenses for treatment affect a large majority of Americans. Across the United States only eight states require comprehensive infertility coverage and among those States most employer-provided plans are exempt. According to the 2005 National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans by Mercer IVF was only covered by 19 % of large employer-sponsored health plans and only 11 % of small employer-sponsored plans.
A new Senate Bill introduced by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and co-sponsored by Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) proposes to include out-of-pocket expenses for in-vitro fertilization as a tax exemption. The bill would allow for “50% of the qualified infertility treatment expenses paid or incurred during the taxable year” up to $13,360 per individual. If approved the bill will go into effect January 1, 2012.
The bill was designed around the current legislation that is in effect for costs associated with the adoption process. Since this bill is currently before the Senate for approval it is very important to contact your two senators advocating for the passage of this bill. This bill is currently endorsed by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine and many other fertility organizations. In 2009 a similar bill called the Family Building Act of 2009 (H.R. 697) sponsored by Representative Anthony Weiner (D-NY) was introduced but did not gain enough support to be passed into law.
Hopefully, with all of the buzz of health care reform the 112th Congress will be more supportive of this bill that will positively impact millions of Americans undergoing the huge financial burden of infertility treatment.
For more information about Senate Bill 965 click on the following link to follow it’s progress until it hopefully becomes a law.
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s965/show
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