IVF coverage in Delaware for single and LGBTQ+ patients
Delaware's law uses an inclusive definition of infertility: you qualify based on a physician's finding or on being unable to conceive without medical intervention, with no requirement for a period of unprotected heterosexual intercourse. Plans in scope of the law cannot make single or same-sex-partnered patients pay out of pocket for the diagnostic phase that heterosexual couples get covered.
What to ask
- "How does the plan define infertility, and does it apply to me?"
- "Is donor sperm or donor egg purchase covered?" (Most state laws exclude the purchase; some carve-outs cover it.)
- "Are IUI cycles required before IVF, and do self-paid IUIs count?"
Where people get surprised
- Employers with fewer than 50 employees are exempt from the group mandate; self-funded plans are exempt under ERISA.
- Plans may require up to 3 cycles of ovulation induction or IUI before IVF unless IVF is medically necessary.
- The age-45 retrieval / age-50 transfer limits are hard cutoffs.
- Payments to surrogates/gestational carriers, experimental services and reversal of voluntary sterilization are not covered — only the medical procedures are.
- Long-term storage duration and PGT are not specified in the statute — confirm with the plan.