title: State laws and regulations addressing third-party reimbursement for infertility treatment: implications for cancer survivors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine codified state policies related to infertility and assess their implications for cancer patients. Lack of insurance is often identified as a barrier to use of fertility preservation (FP) services.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  A keyword search was developed to identify statutes and administrative regulations of insurance coverage for FP in the United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  N/A.
  
  
  METHODS
  N/A.
  
  
  METHODS
  Laws addressing the general population but pertaining to FP were compiled using Lexis-Nexis. Data were analyzed by reviewing the "plain meaning" of the text, legislative/administrative history, and annotated case law. Legal reasoning and common rules of statutory construction and legislative interpretation were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifteen states (29.4%) had laws relating to insurance coverage for infertility or in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures and two states (CA and IL) specifically excluded IVF from a mandatory offer of coverage. No state laws or regulations addressed insurance coverage for FP methods specific to cancer patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is an argument for policies that require coverage for FP for cancer survivors before treatment.
authors.affiliation: Moffitt Cancer Center, Health Outcomes and Behavior Program, Tampa, Florida; University of South Florida, College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida 33612, USA. gwen.quinn@moffitt.org
authors.forename: Gwendolyn P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Quinn
authors.forename: Susan T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Vadaparampil
authors.forename: Kerri
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McGowan Lowrey
authors.forename: Shelby
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eidson
authors.forename: Caprice
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Knapp
authors.forename: Orhan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bukulmez
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D007349:Insurance, Health, Reimbursement / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013219:State Government; D017741:Survivors / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology