BILL ANALYSIS H.B. 618 By: Walle Pensions, Investments & Financial Services Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE According to a report from the National Institutes of Health, about 9 percent of men and about 11 percent of women of reproductive age in the United States have experienced fertility problems. This includes women who are experiencing infertility, miscarriages, and impaired fecundity due to medical challenges or age. According to witness testimony provided to the House Pensions, Investment, and Financial Services Committee, in vitro fertilization (IVF) is sometimes the best and only option for women who want to have children. H.B. 618 seeks to ensure that more families will have the health insurance coverage they need to cover expenses arising from IVF procedures by including, under certain conditions, health benefit plan coverage of certain IVF outpatient expenses for certain governmental employees and retirees. CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS H.B. 618 amends the Insurance Code to require the following health benefit plans that provide pregnancy-related benefits for covered individuals to provide coverage for outpatient expenses that arise from in vitro fertilization procedures to the same extent that the plans provide benefits for other pregnancy-related procedures: a basic coverage plan under the Texas Employees Group Benefits Act; TRS-Care; TRS-ActiveCare; and a plan providing basic coverage under the State University Employees Uniform Insurance Benefits Act. However, this coverage is required to be provided under the bill's provisions only if: the patient for the in vitro fertilization procedure is an individual covered under the group health benefit plan; the fertilization or attempted fertilization of the patient's oocytes is made only with the sperm of the patient's spouse; the patient and the patient's spouse have a history of infertility of at least five continuous years' duration or the infertility is associated with endometriosis, exposure in utero to diethylstilbestrol (DES), blockage of or surgical removal of one or both fallopian tubes, or oligospermia; the patient has been unable to attain a successful pregnancy through any less costly applicable infertility treatments for which coverage is available under the group health benefit plan; and the in vitro fertilization procedures are performed at a medical facility that conforms to the minimal standards for programs of in vitro fertilization adopted by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. H.B. 618 applies only to a health benefit plan that is delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026. A health benefit plan delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed before that date is governed by the law as it existed immediately before the bill's effective date, and that law is continued in effect for that purpose. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2025.
BILL ANALYSIS
# BILL ANALYSIS
H.B. 618
By: Walle
Pensions, Investments & Financial Services
Committee Report (Unamended)
H.B. 618
By: Walle
Pensions, Investments & Financial Services
Committee Report (Unamended)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE According to a report from the National Institutes of Health, about 9 percent of men and about 11 percent of women of reproductive age in the United States have experienced fertility problems. This includes women who are experiencing infertility, miscarriages, and impaired fecundity due to medical challenges or age. According to witness testimony provided to the House Pensions, Investment, and Financial Services Committee, in vitro fertilization (IVF) is sometimes the best and only option for women who want to have children. H.B. 618 seeks to ensure that more families will have the health insurance coverage they need to cover expenses arising from IVF procedures by including, under certain conditions, health benefit plan coverage of certain IVF outpatient expenses for certain governmental employees and retirees.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS H.B. 618 amends the Insurance Code to require the following health benefit plans that provide pregnancy-related benefits for covered individuals to provide coverage for outpatient expenses that arise from in vitro fertilization procedures to the same extent that the plans provide benefits for other pregnancy-related procedures: a basic coverage plan under the Texas Employees Group Benefits Act; TRS-Care; TRS-ActiveCare; and a plan providing basic coverage under the State University Employees Uniform Insurance Benefits Act. However, this coverage is required to be provided under the bill's provisions only if: the patient for the in vitro fertilization procedure is an individual covered under the group health benefit plan; the fertilization or attempted fertilization of the patient's oocytes is made only with the sperm of the patient's spouse; the patient and the patient's spouse have a history of infertility of at least five continuous years' duration or the infertility is associated with endometriosis, exposure in utero to diethylstilbestrol (DES), blockage of or surgical removal of one or both fallopian tubes, or oligospermia; the patient has been unable to attain a successful pregnancy through any less costly applicable infertility treatments for which coverage is available under the group health benefit plan; and the in vitro fertilization procedures are performed at a medical facility that conforms to the minimal standards for programs of in vitro fertilization adopted by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. H.B. 618 applies only to a health benefit plan that is delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026. A health benefit plan delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed before that date is governed by the law as it existed immediately before the bill's effective date, and that law is continued in effect for that purpose.
EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2025.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
According to a report from the National Institutes of Health, about 9 percent of men and about 11 percent of women of reproductive age in the United States have experienced fertility problems. This includes women who are experiencing infertility, miscarriages, and impaired fecundity due to medical challenges or age. According to witness testimony provided to the House Pensions, Investment, and Financial Services Committee, in vitro fertilization (IVF) is sometimes the best and only option for women who want to have children. H.B. 618 seeks to ensure that more families will have the health insurance coverage they need to cover expenses arising from IVF procedures by including, under certain conditions, health benefit plan coverage of certain IVF outpatient expenses for certain governmental employees and retirees.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
H.B. 618 amends the Insurance Code to require the following health benefit plans that provide pregnancy-related benefits for covered individuals to provide coverage for outpatient expenses that arise from in vitro fertilization procedures to the same extent that the plans provide benefits for other pregnancy-related procedures:
a basic coverage plan under the Texas Employees Group Benefits Act;
TRS-Care;
TRS-ActiveCare; and
a plan providing basic coverage under the State University Employees Uniform Insurance Benefits Act.
However, this coverage is required to be provided under the bill's provisions only if:
the patient for the in vitro fertilization procedure is an individual covered under the group health benefit plan;
the fertilization or attempted fertilization of the patient's oocytes is made only with the sperm of the patient's spouse;
the patient and the patient's spouse have a history of infertility of at least five continuous years' duration or the infertility is associated with endometriosis, exposure in utero to diethylstilbestrol (DES), blockage of or surgical removal of one or both fallopian tubes, or oligospermia;
the patient has been unable to attain a successful pregnancy through any less costly applicable infertility treatments for which coverage is available under the group health benefit plan; and
the in vitro fertilization procedures are performed at a medical facility that conforms to the minimal standards for programs of in vitro fertilization adopted by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
H.B. 618 applies only to a health benefit plan that is delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026. A health benefit plan delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed before that date is governed by the law as it existed immediately before the bill's effective date, and that law is continued in effect for that purpose.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2025.