Aetna Begins Coverage of Intrauterine Insemination

Aetna is extending coverage of intrauterine insemination to people covered by its commercial health plans, the company announced this morning

Intrauterine insemination has been in the news lately because it is the procedure that the Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen Walz, used to have children. Sometimes referred to as artificial insemination, the procedure placing specially prepared sperm directly in the uterus, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Aetna, which is the health insurance arm of CVS Health, says it is the first major insurer to cover intrauterine insemination and that the coverage will be included in its commercial plans as a medical benefit as the plans get renewed over the next year. Aetna’s commercial health plans, coverage purchased by employers to cover their employees, cover approximately 19 people in the U.S.

Aetna couched the coverage extension as a women’s and LGBTQ+ issue in a news release this morning.

“Expanding IUI [intrauterine insemination]coverage is yet another demonstration of Aetna’s commitment to women’s health across all communities, including LGBTQ+ and unpartnered people,” Cathy Moffitt, M.D., Aetna’s chief medical officer, was quoted as saying in the news release. “This industry-leading policy change is a stake in the ground, reflecting Aetna's support of all who need to use this benefit as a preliminary step in building their family.”

An Aetna spokesman said the cost of intrauterine insemination varies and depends on provider contracts and other factors.

The Mayo Clinic describes intrauterine insemination as a procedure that treats infertility. Some Republicans have accused of Walz of being misleading when he has referred to his and his wife’s experience as in vitro fertilization (IVF), which the Mayo describes as involving the collection of mature eggs from ovaries, fertilizing them with sperm in a lab and then placing the fertilized eggs in the uterus.

Intrauterine insemination and IVF are different procedures and covered in different ways by Aetna, a company said in an email to Managed Healthcare Executive, with coverage of IVF determined by each plan’s benefits for infertility services.