Support Senate Bill No. 599
Adding Miscarriage to the Definition of Infertility
Contact Info for Legislators
Federal Advocacy Day - Thurs. April 10
Here is some important news about the Infertility Insurance Mandate in Massachusetts. State Senator Thomas McGee has proposed a bill, Senate Bill No. 599, that would amend the definition of infertility in the state's insurance mandate to include "the inability to carry a pregnancy to term." (Note that the mandate currently defines infertility as: "The condition of a presumably healthy individual who is unable to conceive or produce conception during a period of one year.") He introduced this bill because, currently, couples that experience pregnancy loss are being denied infertility coverage by their insurance companies simply because they can conceive.
Clearly this interpretation completely contradicts the original spirit and intent of the mandate, which was: to provide insurance coverage so that infertile people can have babies! Those who experience miscarriage without question are infertile; they cannot have a baby. This is "infertility" both by logic and by medical definition.
RESOLVE of the Bay State needs your help. Senate Bill No. 599 is under consideration by the members of the Joint Committee on Financial Services. Let our legislators know that you wholeheartedly support this bill and that you want to see the definition of infertility in the mandate made complete and up to date. Make sure that this bill is reported out of the committee for consideration and vote by the entire legislature!
Here's what you can do:
Lawmakers need to hear from us so they know there are people who care about passing this bill! Click here to find a letter that can be sent to lawmakers in the Massachusetts House and Senate. (Note: To copy the letter from PDF format, use the "Select Tool" icon in the toolbar above the letter, drag to highlight the text to be copied, right click on the highlighted text, and select Copy To Clipboard. Then you can paste the letter into an email or Word document.)
Please sign the letter, including your address, personalize it with your own experience or thoughts, and send it by email or mail to the Joint Membership of the Financial Services Committee, which is now addressing this bill.
Joint Membership of the Financial Services Committee:
Senator Stephen J. Buoniconti of Hampden, Stephen.Buoniconti@state.ma.us - Chair
Senator Dianne Wilkerson of Second Suffolk, Dianne.Wilkerson@state.ma.us - Vice-Chair
Senator Benjamin B. Downing of Berkshire, Hampshire & Franklin, Benjamin.Downing@state.ma.us
Senator Mark C. Montigny of Second Bristol and Plymouth, Mark.Montigny@state.ma.us
Senator Susan C. Tucker of Second Essex and Middlesex, Susan.Tucker@state.ma.us
Senator Michael R. Knapik of Hampden and Hampshire, Michael.Knapik@state.ma.us
Representative Ronald Mariano of Quincy, Rep.RonaldMariano@hou.state.ma.us - Chair
Representative Robert Spellane of Worcester, Rep.RobertSpellane@hou.state.ma.us - Vice-Chair
Representative William C. Galvin of Canton, Rep.WilliamGalvin@hou.state.ma.us
Representative Robert J. Nyman of Hanover, Rep.RobertNyman@hou.state.ma.us
Representative Thomas M. Stanley of Waltham, Rep.ThomasStanley@hou.state.ma.us
Representative Joseph R. Driscoll of Braintree, Rep.JosephDriscoll@hou.state.ma.us
Representative James T. Welch of West Springfield, Rep.JamesWelch@hou.state.ma.us
Representative Sarah K.Peake of Provincetown, Rep.SarahPeake@hou.state.ma.us
Representative Stephen Smith of Everett, Rep.StephenSmith@hou.state.ma.us
Representative Daniel K. Webster of Hanson, Rep.DanielWebster@hou.state.ma.us
Representative F. Jay Barrows of Mansfield, Rep.FJayBarrows@hou.state.ma.us
Also send letters to your local representative and senator. Their email and mailing addresses can be found at this site: http://www.state.ma.us/legis. We encourage you to telephone your legislators, as well. The time when we can influence the decision on this bill is now!
Other actions you can take:
· Pass the letter along to your friends and family and ask them to join you in making our voices heard.
· Write a Letter to the Editor to your local newspaper or to the Boston Globe or Herald.
· Ask your infertility doctor to join you in sending the letter to his/her state legislator.
Federal Advocacy Day
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Hosted by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association
You are invited to join RESOLVE and make your voice heard! On Thursday, April 10, 2008, people from across the nation who care about
family building issues will exercise their rights and journey to Washington, DC, to meet with their
Congressional leaders.
On April 10th, RESOLVE
will be advocating for three important legislative priorities:
• Sponsorship of HR 2892 - The Family Building Act of 2007 - which would require insurance
coverage for infertility treatment.
• The repeal of the Adoption Tax Credit sunset provision
• Increased medical research funding for the National Institutes of Health
RESOLVE will make all of your Congressional constituent appointments, provide advocacy
materials, and conduct advocacy training for this event.
Visit the RESOLVE website at www.resolve.org for more information and to register.
*** Registration is free for the first 150 registrants! ***
