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COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
OFFICE OF COUNCILMEMBER BROOKE PINTO
THE JOHN A. WILSON BUILDING
1350 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, N.W., SUITE 106
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004
November 17, 2025
Nyasha Howard, Secretary
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Secretary Howard,
Today, I am introducing the Expanding Fertility Treatment Options Amendment Act of 2025. Please find
enclosed a signed copy of the legislation.
District residents should be supported in establishing and growing their families. Many women experience
age-related fertility decline, which can lead to infertility diagnoses and reproductive barriers at the time
they are trying to start a family. One of the leading causes of age -related fertility decline ––both lower
pregnancy rates and higher rates of miscarriage ––is oocyte, or egg, quality, which declines with maternal
age.1 For women who experience an infertility diagnosis, a common fertility treatment i s in vitro
fertilization (“IVF”), which requires a process for egg retrieval, fertilization, and then transfer of a fertilized
embryo. However, for women facing declining egg quality, IVF can take years and may ultimately be
unsuccessful. Women who are able to choose an elective egg retrieval and freeze their eggs at a younger
age have a higher chance of later success with pregnancy and future live birth.2
To support a more expansive and proactive approach to fertility treatments, this bill requires health insurers
in the District to cover elective egg freezing as a treatment to increase the chance of pregnancy for patients
at a later, more advanced age, when they may face age-related fertility decline.
Should you have any questions about this legislation, please contact my Committee and Legislative
Director, Linn Groft, at lgroft@dccouncil.gov.
Thank you,
Brooke Pinto
Councilmember, Ward 2
Chairwoman, Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety
Council of the District of Columbia
1 American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Age and Fertility: A Guide for Patients, available here.
2 Jenna Gale, Aisling A. Clancy, and Paul Claman, Canadian Medical Association Journal, Elective Egg Freezing
for Age-Related Fertility Decline, available here.
________________________
Councilmember Brooke Pinto
A BILL
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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To amend the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Federal Law Conformity Act of 2000 to 1
include elective oocyte retrieval and oocyte cryopreservation in the list of fertility 2
treatments required to be covered by health insurance in the District of Columbia. 3
4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this act may 5
be cited as the “Expanding Fertility Treatment Options Amendment Act of 2025”. 6
Sec. 2. Section (5f) of the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Federal Law Conformity 7
Act of 2000, effective April 3, 2001 (D.C. Law 13-254; D.C. Official Code § 31-3831 et seq.), is 8
amended as follows: 9
(a) Subsection (a) is amended as follows: 10
(1) Paragraph 1 is amended as follows: 11
(A) Existing text is redesignated as (a)(1)(A). 12
(B) Add a new sub-paragraph (B) to read as follows: 13
“(B) Beginning January 1, 2027, a health insurer offering a large group 14
health benefit plan shall provide coverage for oocyte cryopreservation, as provided in paragraph 15
(2) of this subsection; provided that the treatment would be consistent with a physician’s or 16
surgeon’s overall plan of care.”. 17
(2) Paragraph (2) is amended as follows: 18
(A) Subparagraph (B) is amended by striking “.” and inserting the phrase 19
“; and” in its place. 20
(B) A new subparagraph (C) is added to read as follows: 21
“(C) The storage of frozen oocytes for a minimum period of 10 years.”. 22
(b) Subsection (b) is amended as follows: 23
(1) Paragraph (1) is amended as follows: 24
(A) Existing text is redesignated as (1)(A). 25
(B) A new sub-paragraph (B) is added to read as follows: 26
“(B) Beginning January 1, 2027, a health insurer offering an individual 27
health benefit plan or small group health plan shall provide coverage for oocyte 28
cryopreservation, as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection; provided that the treatment 29
would be consistent with a physician’s or surgeon’s overall plan of care.”. 30
(2) Paragraph (2) is amended as follows: 31
(A) Subparagraph (B) is amended by striking “.” and inserting the phrase 32
“; and” in its place. 33
(B) A new subparagraph (C) is added to read as follows: 34
“(C) The storage of frozen oocytes for a minimum period of 10 years.”. 35
(c) Subsection (c) is amended as follows: 36
(1) Paragraph (1) is amended as follows: 37
(A) Existing text is redesignated as (1)(A). 38
(B) A new sub-paragraph (B) is added to read as follows: 39
“(B) Beginning January 1, 2027, the DC Healthcare Alliance program 40
shall also provide health insurance coverage for oocyte cryopreservation.”. 41
(d) New subsections (c-1), (c-2), and (c-3) are added to read as follows: 42
“(c-1)(1) Beginning January 1, 2027, a health insurer offering a large group health benefit 43
plan shall provide coverage for elective oocyte retrieval and cryopreservation, as provided in 44
paragraph (2) of this subsection; provided that the treatment would be consistent with a 45
physician's or surgeon's overall plan of care. 46
“(2) The health benefit plan shall cover: 47
“(A) Proactive fertility care; 48
“(B) At least 3 complete oocyte retrievals with unlimited embryo transfers 49
from those oocyte retrievals or from any oocyte retrieval performed prior to January 1, 2027, in 50
accordance with the guidelines of ASRM, using single embryo transfer when recommended and 51
medically appropriate; and 52
“(C) The storage of the frozen oocyte for a minimum period of 10 years. 53
“(c-2)(1) Beginning January 1, 2027, a health insurer offering an individual health benefit 54
plan or small group health plan shall provide coverage for elective oocyte retrieval and 55
cryopreservation, as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection; provided that the treatment 56
would be consistent with a physician's or surgeon's overall plan of care. 57
“(2) The health benefit plan shall cover: 58
“(A) Proactive fertility care; 59
“(B) At least 3 complete oocyte retrievals with unlimited embryo transfers 60
from those oocyte retrievals or from any oocyte retrieval performed prior to January 1, 2027, in 61
accordance with the guidelines of ASRM, using single embryo transfer when recommended and 62
medically appropriate; and 63
“(C) The storage of the frozen oocyte for a minimum period of 10 years. 64
“(c-3)(1) Beginning January 1, 2027, the DC Healthcare Alliance program shall provide 65
health insurance coverage for elective oocyte retrieval and cryopreservation, as provided in 66
paragraph (2) of this subsection; provided that the treatment would be consistent with a 67
physician's or surgeon's overall plan of care. 68
“(2) The health benefit plan shall cover: 69
“(A) Proactive fertility care; 70
“(B) At least 3 complete oocyte retrievals with unlimited embryo transfers 71
from those oocyte retrievals or from any oocyte retrieval performed prior to January 1, 2027, in 72
accordance with the guidelines of ASRM, using single embryo transfer when recommended and 73
medically appropriate; and 74
“(C) The storage of the frozen oocyte for a minimum period of 10 years.”. 75
Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement. 76
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 77
impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 78
approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 79
Sec. 4. Effective date. 80
This act shall take effect after approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 81
Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as 82
provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 83
24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of 84
Columbia Register. 85