New Jersey is one of only a handful of states that mandates health insurance coverage for infertility, both treatment and other costs, as part of the Family Building Act, N.J.S.A. 17B:27-.1x (the Act).  Specifically, the Act requires that any health insurance policy covering more than 50 individuals which provides pregnancy-related benefits must also include coverage for infertility treatments.

            

On May 1, 2017, Gov. Chris Christie signed legislation amending the Act, compelling carriers providing coverage for state government and public school employees (the State Health Benefits Program and School Employees Health Benefit Plan) to cover fertility treatments for same-sex couples and single women.  The legislation was the result of federal civil rights litigation, wherein Erin Krupa (along with three other women) sued the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, Krupa v. Badolato, No. 16-cv-04637, after Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield, denied her application for fertility coverage. Krupa's request was denied, in part, because of the way that the Act defined "infertility."  Under the Act, a woman is eligible for fertility treatment only after failing to conceive after engaging in unprotected intercourse with a male partner for one year or more.  Notwithstanding Krupa's endometriosis and uterine cysts, she was not considered "infertile" under the Act (making her eligible for infertility coverage) because she was engaged in a same-sex relationship.  Krupa claimed that the Act discriminates against sexual orientation.

Under the new legislation amends the Act's definition of "infertility" to include single women and women in same-sex relationships and shortens waiting periods for in vitro fertilization (IVF) coverage. These provisions of the new law become effective in 90 days from Gov. Christie's signature.

To read the full law,   click here.

 

Article by Emily J. Bordens, Esq. Emily Bordens is an associate with Bressler, Amery & Ross, P.C.  She has successfully represented employers in employment and labor litigation. Formerly a Human Resources professional, Emily regularly counsels employers on all aspects of employment law to help ensure compliance and avoid costly litigation. [email protected]

National Geographic offers this great tribute to Father's Day and discusses "5 Benefits of Dads That May Surprise You: "

He built the tree house. Wiped away tears on a tough day. Cheered on the sidelines.   There are lots of obvious reasons to appreciate your old man, as many will do next Sunday on Father's Day.

But new science on fatherhood is uncovering others that you may not have known-and which should earn Dad a little extra love.

Boosting Daughters' Careers

Dad shouldn't do the dishes this Sunday. But one study suggests that fathers who handle their fair share of household chores raise daughters who aspire to careers beyond those that are stereotypically female, such as nursing and teaching.

The strongest predictor of girls' career goals and attitudes toward traditional gender roles was whether their fathers did or didn't pull their weight around the house, noted the  study, published in May inPsychologial Science.

Co-author  Alyssa Croft, of the University of British Columbia, says she found the dads didn't necessarily tell their daughters to think past stereotypes-they showed it by taking on household tasks.

"It's important to not only talk the talk when it comes to gender equality at home, but walk the walk, because daughters seem to be watching." 

Story Time Success

Fathers are famous for their bedtime stories. Turns out these tales may play a huge role in raising successful kids, according to a  study published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology.

In the experiments, parents read wordless picture books with their children so that scientists could analyze each parent's mean length of utterance (MLU)-a linguistic benchmark that increases when speakers use longer sentences and fuller descriptions.

They found that all parents who told stories with higher MLUs  had kindergartners with bigger vocabularies and higher test scores. Dads in particular had an impact on their kids' development that went "above and beyond" moms, the study found.

The "findings highlight the unique contribution of fathers to children's early academic achievement," wrote co-author  Claire Baker, an educational psychologist at the University of North Carolina. 

Genetically, We're More Like Dad Than Mom

Mice, and likely humans, are more genetically similar to their fathers than to their mothers, according to a  study published in March in Nature Genetics. We inherit DNA (nearly) equally from each parent but actually "use" more of dad's genes, the research suggests.

Researchers measured how genes are expressed-or how DNA is translated into proteins that guide the function of cells-for several types of tissues, including the brain.

For each gene, the team then quantified how much of this cellular process was derived from each parent. Across the genome, they found genes were expressed in a way that was significantly more like that of the fathers.

Roughhousing Builds Life Skills

Don't tell the kids, but rough-and-tumble playtime is a great learning experience. Many studies have explored how fathers that engage in creative roughhousing help kids evaluate risk, solve problems, learn their limits, manage excitement and aggression, and read others' emotional cues while conveying their own-all in a safe environment where nobody gets hurt.

"It really is a fantastically complex constellation of emotions and self-regulation, which we now understand is a key element for children to develop well," Fletcher says.

Dads' Diets Influence Kid Health

Expectant mothers need to watch what they eat, but surprising research suggests that dad's diet also influences his future children's health.

In experiments, male mice with insufficient folate, or Vitamin B9, in their diets produced offspring with nearly 30 percent more birth defects-such as spinal and cranial deformities-than mice with sufficient folate, according to  a study published in 2013 in Nature Communications . 

It's already known that folate protects against miscarriages and birth defects in the mother's diet.

Now, "our research suggests that fathers need to think about what they put in their mouths, what they smoke and what they drink," McGill University's  Sarah Kimmins said in a statement, "and remember they are caretakers of generations to come."