Send us your IVF testimonials!
Hi everyone,
DOJ GEN needs your help collecting testimonials about IVF!
We’re continuing our campaign to convince the Administration to expand IVF access for federal employees. Although Congress failed to pass a bill this month that would have dramatically expanded IVF coverage in FEHB plans, OPM could still do that for plan year 2025.
Following up on the letter we sent to OPM last month, we plan to provide real-world examples of hardships that federal employees have experienced when having to pay for IVF out of pocket. We’ve done this before with excellent results—as part of our 2019 lobbying campaign for paid parental leave legislation, we collected dozens of personal testimonials from our members about the difficulties of having no paid parental leave. We know that lawmakers at the time found the testimonials to be powerful illustrations of why the bill (which passed!) was so necessary then, and we think that using the strategy here will help convince OPM that IVF coverage expansion is necessary now.
Please let us know if you’re willing to share a brief story about the difficulties of having to pay for IVF out of pocket in the past, or if you anticipate having these difficulties in the near future. Also, please encourage employees you know at DOJ or at other federal agencies to submit one (DOJ GEN membership isn’t required).
Anyone who submits a testimonial may remain anonymous, use their initials, or use their name; just let us know.
Here’s an example (you can also use the paid parental leave testimonials as guidance):
“When it became clear that my partner and I would need to use IVF to have a child, I panicked because I knew it largely wouldn’t be covered by federal health insurance. While my plan pays for most of the IVF medications, the procedure to retrieve eggs and make embryos costs $16,000, every attempt to implant an embryo costs $5,000, and we need to spend thousands more on donor sperm and genetic testing. This has left me with credit card debt for the first time in my life, and the prospect of saving for our family’s future now feels overwhelming. Meanwhile, my friends in the private sector have received complete IVF benefits from their employer plans—a contrast that has led me to seriously consider leaving the federal government for a job that will cover the healthcare I need to expand my family.”
Please send testimonials to dojgenderequalitynetwork@gmail.com. Because this effort is time sensitive (OPM will decide which coverage mandates to issue by late July), we ask that you send testimonials no later than July 8.
Many thanks to Abi Farthing and the IVF working group for their work on this, and please feel free to reach out to Abi (cc’d) or me with questions or concerns.
Best,
Stacey