Dr. Slater — Asked to expand on the insurance coverage distinction for fertility-related infertility.
Dr. Slater — Explains that iatrogenic infertility means infertility caused by treatment.
Dr. Slater — Continues explaining why treatment-caused infertility is treated differently from other infertility causes.
Dr. Slater — Explains that waiting six months after chemotherapy avoids increased birth defects or congenital anomalies.
Dr. Slater — Being asked to address access to fertility preservation services.
Dr. Slater — Says access is limited by overwhelming cancer diagnoses, financial barriers, and lack of local access; notes Zoom consults are available.
Dr. Slater — Being asked about tissue storage facilities.
Dr. Slater — Explains clinic storage practices, liquid nitrogen tanks, and annual storage fees for sperm and eggs.
Dr. Slater — Was asked whether more fertility clinics would come to Idaho if coverage were adopted.
Dr. Slater — Said Idaho's population is too small to support many fertility clinics now, though that could change in the future.
Dr. Slater — She said she met Dr. Slater's team within 24 hours of diagnosis.
Dr. Slater — She said she worked with Dr. Slater for several years.
Dr. Rihanna Menon — Dr. Rihanna Menon introduces herself as a fellowship-trained breast surgeon speaking on behalf of herself, her patients, and women in Idaho. She then explains that she treats breast cancer patients from across the state and highlights how cancer treatment can affect fertility, with preservation often complicated by timing and cost barriers.
Ilana Rubel — Representative Rubel is introduced as the next questioner and then asks about the out-of-pocket costs people face for fertility preservation, focusing on the standard range of expenses and financial burden.
Ilana Rubel — Representative Ilana Rubel explains that although she would prefer to send the bill to the floor, she is instead making a motion to hold the bill in committee at the sponsor's request.
Dr. Kristen Slater — Dr. Kristen Slater introduced herself as a Boise reproductive endocrinology and OB-GYN specialist and explained that her testimony was about fertility preservation for cancer patients. She argued the issue is medical, ethical, economic, and legal, then walked through the costs of sperm banking, egg freezing, storage, and related fertility preservation services, noting discounts and philanthropic support in her office. She emphasized that fertility preservation is relatively low-cost compared with cancer treatment, that only a small percentage of patients use it, and that counseling about infertility risk is standard of care for cancer patients because some treatments can cause infertility. She described the short window patients have to decide, the emotional and relationship harms of infertility, and framed fertility preservation as preventative medicine and standard-of-care care that supports both cancer cure and quality of life. She concluded by saying the proposal is the right thing to do and later added that about 40% of her patients have fertility coverage, with coverage largely driven by employers.
Josh Wheeler — Representative Josh Wheeler asked Dr. Slater a question about fertility preservation services, first introducing the topic and then asking what percentage of insurance providers already cover the service.
Dori Healey — Asks whether chemo and radiation can cause reproductive harms beyond infertility.
Dori Healey — Signals she has the floor for a question.
Dori Healey — Representative Healy and Dori Healey engage in a sustained discussion about the scope and cost of fertility preservation coverage. Healy questions why coverage should be mandated for one group, such as cancer patients, when other women with different medical causes of infertility might also seek coverage, and challenges the idea that the speed of diagnosis should determine whether a condition is covered. Dori Healey responds that the bill was crafted as an incremental step, acknowledges the broader concern, and indicates openness to exploring a narrower carve-out or broader coverage in the future. The exchange also covers cost and premium impact, with Healey asking about projected effects on individual premiums and Dori Healey explaining that the numbers were run, the expected increase would be very small, and the cost would be spread across all policyholders. The discussion ends with acknowledgment that both the concerns raised by Representative Healy and the bill’s rationale are valid.
Megan Egbert — Asks about geographic access to fertility preservation services in Idaho.
Tanya Burgoyne — Asks about storage facilities and tissue storage arrangements.
Dr. — The witness is asked whether discounts would continue under insurance changes.
Mark Harris — A question was directed to Representative Green about whether coverage would attract more fertility clinics to Idaho or mainly benefit one clinic.
Mark Harris — Representative Green gives closing remarks on the bill, explaining that his own cancer diagnosis made the issue personally meaningful and that the legislation addresses infertility caused by cancer treatment. In the ensuing exchange, Representative Healy responds to Green’s comments, and Green clarifies that he recognized other treatments can also cause infertility while crafting the legislation.
Mark Harris — Representative Green is thanked at the close of the committee action as the meeting adjourns.
Maximilian Osland / Oslin (questionable) — The chair introduces the next witness, likely Maximilian Oslin/Osland, and asks him to state his name and representation.
Maximilian Oslin (Moxie) — Maximilian Oslin (Moxie) introduced himself and explained that he was speaking from personal experience. He described being diagnosed with testicular cancer at age 27, the rapid sequence of events that followed, including treatment planning and a short window before chemotherapy, and the need to quickly store sperm to preserve fertility. He emphasized the emotional turmoil and urgency of making fertility decisions before treatment began.
Shailen P. / Shailen Pease (questionable) — The next virtual witness is announced, with the name partially unclear in the transcript.
Shailen Pease / Piz (questionable) — Shailen Pease/Piz introduced herself as appearing virtually on her own behalf and then shared her personal experience with leukemia and fertility preservation. She explained that she was diagnosed eight years ago, remains on chemotherapy, and had a very short window to preserve embryos before treatment. She described the emotional impact of being told she could not have children, noted that she and her husband later had a five-year-old son, and said she is a physician assistant who worked with Dr. Slater. She also emphasized the financial burden and lack of insurance coverage for fertility preservation, saying they had to make the decision to freeze embryos in less than 24 hours after diagnosis.
Rachel Meyer — Rachel Meyer introduced herself and described being diagnosed at 18 with a rare desmoid tumor that cannot be removed. She explained that doctors recommended IVF before chemotherapy, but she could not afford it and her insurance covered nothing. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy, had only a short window to decide about fertility preservation, and was able to proceed only with help from her parents and family support.
Kyle Brotherson — Kyle Brotherson introduced himself as speaking for himself and for women in the valley diagnosed with breast cancer, and shared that he is a seven-year breast cancer survivor. He then described how, after being told the goal of treatment was to help him become a parent, he learned the high cost of IVF and the burden of repeated trips for ultrasounds and blood work. He explained that chemo and immunotherapy at age 31 created a high likelihood of infertility, and that his parents’ retirement funds helped make fertility preservation possible. He added that insurance coverage would have reduced the financial stress and concluded by thanking the committee, stressing that cancer and fertility issues especially affect younger generations.
Norm Varen — Norm Varen, representing PacificSource, explained that he was speaking to educate the committee rather than take a formal position. He described how adding a new benefit category would trigger benefit deferral and shift costs to the state for insured individual and small-group plans, noting that federal 2027 benefit and payment parameters require this approach and that the fiscal note may be underestimated. He further explained that expanding a benefit category can broaden covered options and that the reimbursement process could affect intended or unintended patient categories. In response to committee questions, he confirmed that this is how the mechanism would function, but said he was not qualified to say whether the bill is strictly limited to cancer patients without consulting colleagues.
Ben Fuhriman — Ben Fuhriman questioned Norm Varen to clarify how the bill would work, emphasizing that it applies to individual and other non-self-funded plans rather than self-funded plans. He then noted that the proposal appears to create a new benefit not required under federal law and asked for confirmation. Fuhriman also pressed on whether the bill is limited to people with cancer, continuing to probe the bill’s scope and intended coverage.
Ben Fuhriman — Called on for a question, but he says he does not have one and instead offers a comment.
Mokks — Identified as the young man who testified and is said to have married the speaker's daughter.
Brandon Shippy — Likely the intended name behind the transcription 'Representative Byswinger'; asks about whether a mandate is better than philanthropy.
Robert Beiswenger — Asks whether the clinic's 50% discounts would still apply if insurance coverage changes.
Dr. Menon — Dr. Menon testifies about fertility preservation for cancer patients, emphasizing the medical urgency and the significant upfront cost burden. When asked about pricing, Dr. Menon says he cannot speak directly to that question and suggests Dr. Slater may be better suited to answer, noting that the procedure can cost many thousands of dollars.
Dr. Slater — Dr. Slater is referenced as a witness who may be inserted into the discussion if she arrives, and she is later identified as someone who could provide additional testimony on fertility preservation costs and the process.
Lori McCann — Representative Lori McCann speaks in strong support of the bill, saying it will affect many families who want children and describing it as one of the most pro-life bills they could bring. She also thanks the families who testified.
Julie VanOrden — The chair votes aye on the motion and closes the discussion.
Jordan Redman — Introduces himself as representing District 3 in Cootney County.
Robert Beiswenger — Representative Beiswenger is identified as the member making the motion and then formally moves to introduce RS 33691.