Coverage of infertility treatment and fertility outcomes Articles uri icon

publication date

  • November 2015

start page

  • 407

end page

  • 439

issue

  • 4

volume

  • 6

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 1869-4187

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1869-4195

abstract

  • Policy interventions that increase insurance coverage for infertility treatments may affect fertility trends, and ultimately, population age structures. However, such policies have ignored the overall impact of coverage on fertility. We examine short-term and long-term effects of increased insurance coverage for infertility on the timing of first births and on women's total fertility rates. Our main contribution is to show that infertility mandates enacted in the United States during the 80s and 90s did not increase the total fertility rates of women by the end of their reproductive lives. We also show evidence that these mandates induced women to put off motherhood.

keywords

  • assisted reproductive technologies; infertility insurance mandates; completed fertility; delay of motherhood; synthetic control method; in-vitro fertilization; unilateral divorce; welfare reform; selection; markets; program; cost