Updated Fertility Scorecard Underscores State-by-State Disparities in Access to Fertility Treatment and Support Resources

MCLEAN, Va., May 17, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hundreds of fertility advocates from across the country will gather in Washington, D.C. this week to talk with Members of Congress about important issues such as increased access to family building options and financial relief. RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association is also launching an updated index tool to highlight state by state disparities in access to fertility resources and measure and grade states' fertility friendliness. RESOLVE has partnered with EMD Serono for a fourth time to launch The Fertility Scorecard, created by evaluating the number of free RESOLVE support groups, the insurance climate and the number of fertility specialist physicians in each state. 

"The Fertility Scorecard has become an important tool to help us identify state-by-state disparities in access and support and to bring attention to what desperately needs to be done in terms of improving access to infertility treatments and medical care," said Barbara Collura, President/CEO of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. "Today more than ever, it is important that we come together as a bi-partisan community and highlight the need for access to support resources and family building options across the country, and we are excited to share this important tool."

This year, the states that had an A grade on the scorecard are Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island, and the states that received an F grade are Alaska, Mississippi and Wyoming.

"We developed the Scorecard not to publicly call out specific states for their lack of access but to care, but to motivate people to take action to improve their state's fertility friendliness," said Collura.  "As we were updating The Fertility Scorecard for 2017, it was concerning to see anti-family legislation continue to be introduced in many state legislatures, and our need for advocacy continues to be strong."

The Fertility Scorecard also highlights states where the insurance mandate to cover fertility treatment may be in jeopardy or the state legislatures have a history of trying to pass laws that impact the infertility community.

"We hope that by providing The Fertility Scorecard as a resource we will help people take control of their family building journey by becoming more educated about how to address both the financial and emotional barriers they encounter," said Collura. "We want to create conversations between patients, HCPs, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, policymakers and employers that will increase access to fertility treatment nationwide for all who need them."

RESOLVE urges anyone thinking about starting a family or experiencing issues getting pregnant to review The Fertility Scorecard at http://familybuilding.resolve.org/fertility-scorecard/. Through RESOLVE, anyone struggling to build a family can also learn more about starting local support groups and how to become an advocate for pro-family legislation in their states as well as in Washington, D.C.

About Fertility Issues: 

• Couples who are having trouble getting pregnant should know that they are not alone and should feel empowered to seek medical help:
• 10.9% of all women of child-bearing age have physical difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to live birth.
• 12% of married women have trouble getting pregnant or sustaining a pregnancy.
• 1 in 8 couples have trouble getting pregnant or sustaining a pregnancy.
• 1 in 8 women of reproductive age have received help for infertility in their lifetime.
• Couples should visit a fertility specialist if they are under the age of 35 and unable to become pregnant after one year of regular, unprotected intercourse, or six months if the woman is over 35 years old.
• The good news is that approximately 65% of women who seek medical intervention give birth.

About The Fertility Scorecard: RESOLVE developed The Fertility Scorecard to highlight state-by-state disparities between access to support resources and fertility treatment, and to create a conversation among family building stakeholders that will lead to increased access to fertility treatment. 

The state-by-state index was created by evaluating the following criteria for each state and the District of Columbia:

• Whether a state has an insurance mandate for infertility treatments and specifically IVF, and how impactful that mandate is for anyone struggling to build a family.
• Number of fertility specialists (medical doctors) in a state that practice in a SART-accredited infertility clinic, relative to the state's infertile population
• Number of RESOLVE support groups in state relative to the state's infertile population

The Fertility Scorecard can be found at www.RESOLVE.org/fertility-scorecard. It was created with support from EMD Serono.

About RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association: 
RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, established in 1974, is dedicated to ensuring that all people challenged in their family building journey reach resolution through being empowered by knowledge, supported by community, united by advocacy, and inspired to act.

RESOLVE exists to provide access to care, advocacy for coverage, access to free support and community, access to education and awareness of all family building options. For more information visit www.resolve.org.

RESOLVE Contact: 
Jennifer Corbett, 212.301.7177
[email protected]

SOURCE RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association

Related Links

http://www.RESOLVE.org