After losing my son & years of infertility, Kaiser denied a covered fertility benefit
After losing my son & years of infertility, Kaiser denied a covered fertility benefit
The Issue
Kaiser Promised Fertility Coverage. Then They Denied It. Help Us Stop Unfair Fertility Benefit Denials.
After 10+ years of infertility, multiple miscarriages, and numerous IVF cycles, I finally became pregnant with a long-awaited baby boy.
At 21 weeks pregnant, I went into premature labor due to an infection. My son, Koa, was born alive but passed away 2 hours after birth.
The grief of losing a child is indescribable.
After everything my family endured, and spending over $100k cash out of pocket on multiple IVF cycles, I hoped to continue trying to build my family using the newly mandated fertility benefits in California. I purchased secondary coverage through my husbands employer to take advantage of their newly mandated IVF benefits through Kaiser Permanente, as mandated by SB729, mandating fertility coverage. This would be my very first IVF cycle with Kaiser.
Instead, Kaiser denied my request for a "covered" egg retrieval.
The reason? I have two embryos stored in another state.
Kaiser claims that because those embryos exist, an additional retrieval is not medically necessary, even though my health plan does not state that embryos stored elsewhere must be transferred, transported, or used before a covered retrieval can be approved. There is absolutely no language pertaining to this at all. There is absolutely no embryo banking exclusions, no limit on how many embryo's you can have before an egg retrieval would be denied, nor any written/published criteria pertaining to embryo banking, or what is considered "medically necessary". I also requested Kaiser cover all of the costs associated with traveling to Colorado to transfer those embryo's, as they are my fertility provider, yet they also denied that. Kaiser is simultaneously denying my egg retrieval mandating I use my embryo's out of state, while simultaneously denying to cover the costs to use those very embryo's they are demanding I use. To travel to Colorado to use those embryo's, it will cost us close to $10,000 between remote monitoring costs, medication costs, airfare, lodging, car rental, food, and the transfer itself.
As a woman in my 40s with diminished ovarian reserve, time is not on my side. Every month matters. Fertility declines with age, and delays can permanently reduce a patient’s chances of having a child.
Yet Kaiser expects patients to navigate significant costs, logistical barriers, transportation risks, and treatment delays while relying on standards that are not disclosed in the health plan.
This issue extends far beyond my own case.
Across California, infertility patients pay premiums expecting access to fertility benefits that are advertised and covered under their plans. Too often, they encounter denials based on vague references to “medical necessity,” undisclosed criteria, or requirements that are nowhere to be found in the Evidence of Coverage.
Patients deserve transparency.
Patients deserve fairness.
Patients deserve access to the benefits they pay for!
We are asking Kaiser Permanente, California regulators, and California lawmakers to take action and ensure that fertility benefits are administered fairly and consistently.
Specifically, we call for:
• An end to fertility benefit denials based on unwritten or undisclosed requirements.
• Full disclosure of all medical necessity criteria used to approve or deny fertility treatment.
• Clear written explanations identifying the exact Evidence of Coverage language relied upon when a fertility claim is denied.
• Protection against forcing patients to incur substantial costs, delays, or risks associated with transporting embryos that exist at an outside clinic and funded privately.
• Greater oversight and accountability for fertility-related coverage denials.
Infertility is recognized as a medical condition.
Family building should not be obstructed by hidden rules, inconsistent standards, or administrative barriers.
If you believe patients deserve transparency, fairness, and meaningful access to fertility care, please sign this petition and share it with others.
Together, we can help ensure that fertility coverage means more than a promise on paper.
40
The Issue
Kaiser Promised Fertility Coverage. Then They Denied It. Help Us Stop Unfair Fertility Benefit Denials.
After 10+ years of infertility, multiple miscarriages, and numerous IVF cycles, I finally became pregnant with a long-awaited baby boy.
At 21 weeks pregnant, I went into premature labor due to an infection. My son, Koa, was born alive but passed away 2 hours after birth.
The grief of losing a child is indescribable.
After everything my family endured, and spending over $100k cash out of pocket on multiple IVF cycles, I hoped to continue trying to build my family using the newly mandated fertility benefits in California. I purchased secondary coverage through my husbands employer to take advantage of their newly mandated IVF benefits through Kaiser Permanente, as mandated by SB729, mandating fertility coverage. This would be my very first IVF cycle with Kaiser.
Instead, Kaiser denied my request for a "covered" egg retrieval.
The reason? I have two embryos stored in another state.
Kaiser claims that because those embryos exist, an additional retrieval is not medically necessary, even though my health plan does not state that embryos stored elsewhere must be transferred, transported, or used before a covered retrieval can be approved. There is absolutely no language pertaining to this at all. There is absolutely no embryo banking exclusions, no limit on how many embryo's you can have before an egg retrieval would be denied, nor any written/published criteria pertaining to embryo banking, or what is considered "medically necessary". I also requested Kaiser cover all of the costs associated with traveling to Colorado to transfer those embryo's, as they are my fertility provider, yet they also denied that. Kaiser is simultaneously denying my egg retrieval mandating I use my embryo's out of state, while simultaneously denying to cover the costs to use those very embryo's they are demanding I use. To travel to Colorado to use those embryo's, it will cost us close to $10,000 between remote monitoring costs, medication costs, airfare, lodging, car rental, food, and the transfer itself.
As a woman in my 40s with diminished ovarian reserve, time is not on my side. Every month matters. Fertility declines with age, and delays can permanently reduce a patient’s chances of having a child.
Yet Kaiser expects patients to navigate significant costs, logistical barriers, transportation risks, and treatment delays while relying on standards that are not disclosed in the health plan.
This issue extends far beyond my own case.
Across California, infertility patients pay premiums expecting access to fertility benefits that are advertised and covered under their plans. Too often, they encounter denials based on vague references to “medical necessity,” undisclosed criteria, or requirements that are nowhere to be found in the Evidence of Coverage.
Patients deserve transparency.
Patients deserve fairness.
Patients deserve access to the benefits they pay for!
We are asking Kaiser Permanente, California regulators, and California lawmakers to take action and ensure that fertility benefits are administered fairly and consistently.
Specifically, we call for:
• An end to fertility benefit denials based on unwritten or undisclosed requirements.
• Full disclosure of all medical necessity criteria used to approve or deny fertility treatment.
• Clear written explanations identifying the exact Evidence of Coverage language relied upon when a fertility claim is denied.
• Protection against forcing patients to incur substantial costs, delays, or risks associated with transporting embryos that exist at an outside clinic and funded privately.
• Greater oversight and accountability for fertility-related coverage denials.
Infertility is recognized as a medical condition.
Family building should not be obstructed by hidden rules, inconsistent standards, or administrative barriers.
If you believe patients deserve transparency, fairness, and meaningful access to fertility care, please sign this petition and share it with others.
Together, we can help ensure that fertility coverage means more than a promise on paper.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on July 13, 2026