For years, countless couples across New Jersey have struggled with the crushing reality that infertility care — from ovulation-enhancing medications to diagnostic tests — was financially out of reach. Private insurance rarely covered the costs, and Medicaid offered nothing. But that whole dynamic changed when Assemblyman Avi Schnall delivered a sweeping win for families: a new law guaranteeing Medicaid coverage for infertility treatments and medications, a shift that is beginning to transform the lives of thousands of couples.
The legislation, introduced and championed by Assemblyman Schnall, ensures coverage for critical services such as office visits, bloodwork, critical drugs, ultrasounds, and hysterosalpingograms. For many families, those services had previously been out of reach due to cost barriers.
“This is a lifeline for families who have been told hope was too expensive,” Schnall said. “Infertility is not a luxury issue. It is a medical condition — and now, Medicaid is treating it that way.”
Assemblyman Schnall built the program after hearing firsthand from advocates and families, crafting legislation modeled on a successful New York initiative. He secured support from Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and First Lady Tammy Murphy and shepherded the plan into the final state budget. Unlike symbolic measures, the law is fully funded, with clear provisions to ensure access to both medications and clinical care.
In New York, Medicaid’s infertility coverage led to more than 1,300 births in its first years. With New Jersey’s larger population and growing demand, the impact is expected to be even greater.
To recognize the achievement, Premium Health — which played a major role in helping craft the New Jersey program — recently hosted an appreciation event that drew hundreds of community members, healthcare leaders, and advocates. Leaders from CHEMED, Bonei Olam, and A TIME praised Assemblyman Schnall’s leadership, while couples shared emotional testimonies about the financial and emotional toll of navigating infertility without coverage.
“This bill is going to change lives and bring lives — thousands of them,” Assemblyman Schnall said. “We are grateful to give hope back to families who thought they had none.”
The law positions New Jersey as one of the few states offering comprehensive Medicaid infertility coverage, a move that could potentially serve as a national model at a time when reproductive health policy remains deeply divided in Washington.
