Federal workers gain fertility treatment coverage under expanded health plan

What it does

This bill amends the federal employee health insurance program (FEHB) to require coverage of fertility treatments, including egg/sperm freezing, artificial insemination, IVF, genetic testing of embryos, fertility medications, and gamete donation. The bill takes effect one year after enactment, giving insurers time to adjust coverage and pricing.

Why we flagged it

The bill's sole operative mechanism is to mandate fertility treatment coverage in the federal employee health insurance program. It is a straightforward healthcare benefit expansion with no hidden riders or narrow carve-outs.

What the text implies

• The definition of 'fertility treatment' includes a catch-all clause ('such other information, referrals, treatments, procedures...') delegated to the OPM Director and HHS Secretary, creating regulatory flexibility to expand coverage over time without further legislation.
• One-year implementation window may create administrative burden for FEHB carriers to design and price new benefit categories, potentially affecting premium rates for all federal employees.
• Genetic testing of embryos coverage may raise ethical or religious objections among some federal employees and their families, though the bill does not address opt-out or conscience protections.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Federal employees and their families gain access to fertility treatments that may otherwise be unaffordable or unavailable. The bill expands reproductive healthcare options without restricting existing coverage or imposing new costs on the general public; the cost is absorbed within the FEHB program's existing structure.

Who stands to gain

• fertility clinics and reproductive medicine providers
• pharmaceutical companies (fertility medications)
• genetic testing laboratories
• FEHB health insurance carriers (expanded enrollment and premium base)

Named in the bill

Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, 5 U.S.C. § 8904

Where it stands

9 cosponsors: 9 Democrats.

• Feb 27, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• Feb 27, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

6 lobbying clients named this bill on 12 disclosure filings across 3 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $3,525,812 in lobbying spend. A filing names 57 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 82% of bills with at least one filing.

Tammy Duckworth, the sponsor, reported $148,182 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• American Academy of Family Physicians — $1,715,904 on 2 filings
• National Treasury Employees Union — $690,000 on 2 filings
• Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Inc. — $540,000 on 2 filings
• Human Rights Campaign — $439,908 on 2 filings
• Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, Inc. — $120,000 on 2 filings

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.