Health Insurance and Reproductive Rights

A federal judge in the Northern District of California has preliminarily approved a landmark national class action settlement requiring Aetna to cover fertility treatments like artificial insemination and IVF for same-sex couples on the same terms as heterosexual couples, ending policies that conditioned benefits on 'unprotected heterosexual intercourse' or numerous self-funded insemination attempts. The deal, believed to be the first to mandate such parity across a major insurer’s entire U.S. book of business, is expected to affect about 2.8 million LGBTQ Aetna members, including 91,000 Californians, and will provide at least $2 million in damages to eligible California enrollees who submit claims by June 29, 2026. Advocates say the case could pressure other insurers to revise similar infertility definitions that effectively denied coverage to LGBTQ people and single individuals.