Democratic lawmakers demand expanded access to fertility treatments for LGBTQ federal workers

A group of congressional Democrats sent a letter to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) calling for the definition of "infertility" in government employee health plans to be updated so that LGBTQ staff can more easily access fertility treatments.

According to the three dozen legislators who wrote the letter, the health benefits plan for federal employees "lacks inclusivity, particularly for the LGBTQ community" because the concept of infertility "does not consider the evolving landscape of family building and the diverse needs of individuals who require fertility health care to build their families."

Although LGBTQ staff only make up about 6% of the entire federal workforce, Democrats insist on the importance of adopting a more inclusive definition of the word "fertility" to facilitate access to treatment.

Currently, many fertility procedures, such as intrauterine insemination or in vitro fertilization, have high costs and are not always covered by medical insurance.

However, the condition to access a fertility benefit usually requires a diagnosis of infertility obtained after "six cycles of artificial insemination or intrauterine insemination performed by a qualified specialist using donor sperm of normal quality." But Democrats say that requirement makes the process more difficult and creates unnecessary costs for the LGBTQ community because it excludes alternative methods of conception.

"By limiting coverage to these individuals only after six cycles of insemination with donor sperm, we are effectively denying them access to necessary fertility treatments, placing an undue burden on their path to parenthood," the letter states.