RESOLVE’s Fertility Scorecard and the Family ActHow does Texas score nationally in terms of “fertility friendliness?” Thanks to the organization known as RESOLVE: the National infertility Association, we can now get a clear idea — and the news is not good.
RESOLVE’s Fertility Scorecard, prepared with the cooperation of EMD Serono, ranks every state in the U.S. based on the number of factors, such as its number of fertility support groups, the types of coverage provided by health insurance, political and economic support for fertility care, and access to accredited fertility clinics. The scorecard is meant to give lawmakers an at-a-glance picture of where their state stands on the issue. Texas currently ranks 29th — a disappointingly mediocre showing, though perhaps not an entirely unexpected one.
On the positive side, there are steps all of us can take to attempt to turn things around. Here at IVF Plano, our own Dr. James Douglas continues to fight for passage of the Family Act of 2011, the Family Act of 2013. This act would provide people trying to conceive with a $13,360 tax credit for their fertility treatments, a powerful boost for those who need the sophisticated techniques and expert care required. Dr. Douglas has contacted state legislators and urges all of us to do the same. Lawmakers and insurance companies who stand in the way of proper, affordable infertility care need to know that the people they serve will not longer stand for it.
29th in the nation is not an acceptable score, in our opinion. If you feel the same way, it’s time to speak up on the subject. Submit your own letter , either through the IVF Plano website or at our Facebook page for forwarding to Texas senators and representatives — and we hope you will. If enough of us want it, and say so with sufficient vehemence, we can make Texas a more fertility-friendly state for all of us — including your children-to-be.
