The case for universal IVF coverage is straightforward. A just society should strive to provide all of its members access to the resources that they need to lead healthy and fulfilled lives — at least where available resources allow it. This includes interventions necessary to delay death, such as chemotherapy and kidney dialysis, as well as treatments needed to make life more bearable, such as psychotherapy for depression and analgesics for acute pain.

Most parents would say that being able to conceive and raise children brings them more meaning and joy than, say, being able to run or lift heavy objects. Yet health insurance plans routinely cover treatment of non-life-threatening orthopedic conditions while excluding coverage for IVF.

It’s not the case that adoption is a readily available lower-cost option, either. The average cost of adopting a newborn through a U.S. adoption agency exceeds $40,000, with wait times sometimes topping three years. Couples can offset some of the costs of adoption through a federal tax credit of up to $13,810 per child. The only remotely comparable provision for IVF is a medical expense deduction that very few low- and middle-income couples will be able to claim.

Read more at The Washington Post