[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6363557,"mediaKeyId","2166130-623d657c81e0789feedec8680238cca8","parentId",2166130,"title","Committee Hears Bill to Define and Protect Contraceptive Health Care Rights","audioSeconds",1161,"startMs",135000,"endMs",1296000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2166130-623d657c81e0789feedec8680238cca8&start=135&end=1296","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2166130-623d657c81e0789feedec8680238cca8/thumbnail_135000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6363557/North-Dakota/Committee-Hears-Bill-to-Define-and-Protect-Contraceptive-Health-Care-Rights","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6363557-a1280cbcf177eeecb30d84c07caaea40/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440218&Signature=WElTxHmji9jpb~Q8UzDQ3M5rHOeFBHdoQkFTyvyCOcZwnvqbIPLy6e5JxxjznDlbiOI1J3gId37VBAp7QHt5DGAhaPuxaTViEwg2c3-UD5oHWhVqUK1zdRZtZ~phhIerfOADddyduVi8Y-bOuxnP1o5cZBQ194mhw3jSTmmKFXBK9kv-d5kErCPGtTEhbeNtUb1AjYJAWT11METMncSe2CrEKFl1JPITo~Eux85Zrjvxv~wBIaYN3AbpnlMlgze7I8hziE-iDJYk27toy0cfJuk1HFE~0ZNzTZILjA-c0okWRD0rRMV~NbZ4beTkAl68t3Fcv3kyyoMWpQ4G6JeFzg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","House Human Services, ND","date","2025-01-29T00:00:00Z","article","Representative Carla Rose Hansen, sponsor of House Bill 1478, told the House Human Services Committee the bill would add a statutory definition of contraceptives and prohibit state and local governments from restricting access to contraceptive health care.

\"Let's keep the government out of your doctor's office,\" Representative Carla Rose Hansen said as she asked the panel for a \"due pass\" recommendation. The bill would also allow the attorney general or an adversely affected person to bring a civil suit to enforce the rights the bill creates.

The bill outlines definitions and expressly excludes drugs the bill lists as used to end an established pregnancy; Hansen said the distinction is intended to separate contraceptives from medicines used to terminate pregnancy. Hansen distributed a version with two small amendments related to Medicaid and asked the committee to adopt those clarifications.

Dr. Anna Tobias, a maternal-fetal medicine physician and chair of the North Dakota section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, testified in support. \"Contraception in all forms is an essential part of health care,\" Dr. Tobias said, and described medical uses of contraception beyond pregnancy prevention, including treatment or mitigation of endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, heavy bleeding and other conditions. She told the committee that no contraceptives on the market terminate a pregnancy after implantation and urged statutory clarity so law reflects medical realities.

Courtney Kobal, executive director of the North Dakota Medical Association, also testified in support and said the association endorses policies that protect broad access to contraceptive services. Seth O'Neil of the North Dakota Domestic and Sexual Violence Coalition told the committee that victims of domestic violence need contraceptive access to avoid unplanned pregnancies.

Committee members asked whether North Dakota already recognizes other medical-treatment rights in statute and whether listing specific drugs in code could risk future problems if medical guidance changes. Hansen and witnesses said they would consult legislative counsel and medical records and that the bill as drafted intends technical clarity rather than to create new criminal penalties.

No opposition testimony was offered; the committee closed the hearing on HB1478 with Representative Hansen asking the committee for a due-pass recommendation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Human Services Jan 29, 2025\t","oneSentenceSummary","Representative Carla Rose Hansen introduced House Bill 1478, which would add a statutory definition of contraceptives and bar state and local governments from restricting access to contraceptive health care, and doctors and medical groups testified in favor.","taxTitle","Human Services, House of Representatives, Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28893,"location","North Dakota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6363547,"Bill Would Expand Public-employee Fertility Benefits; PERS Fiscal Note, Employers Raise Cost Concerns",3258,7247000,10505000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2166130-623d657c81e0789feedec8680238cca8&start=7247&end=10505","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2166130-623d657c81e0789feedec8680238cca8/thumbnail_7247000.jpg","/articles/6363547/North-Dakota/Bill-Would-Expand-Public-employee-Fertility-Benefits-PERS-Fiscal-Note-Employers-Raise-Cost-Concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6363547-5db85d3df2148ef4418899e8c7a1452a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440218&Signature=orT0CAWQVAic4RnYpEMGhU9ciF-XLETGyzijlw-EGkLoF-mEcGPQ4xW3o0dw~wbO0ZSMUwIkDuw-jc4ZgkjUmgVTRkwgig3PNjT6odHkK8tl6fQfK2zTTsQ~SUk~2QhZD~BsAXRZVS1Amds1umqs4WvZuyCOKhP1md5lSW5E3l0H0IvhYVEPNT~fjXwbygJl4OUznHu3bai6RnF-Qc7tSj6VvcF5-~hAC6bEgSSCf3O2pcok9Iw-ZHWVLbIDsKM5xfWUmq0j~9G9~VjmLoFkgrS5IP3AtfOFvyW3nBLc5u6qLDrisgfPhh8~1VZFeB8Xg7u1WeWvrOUv7e8XMJRCCg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Mike Brandenburg presented House Bill 1282 to the House Human Services Committee, describing infertility as a disease and saying the bill aims to expand access to fertility treatments through changes to public-employee benefit rules and by requiring a report to the Legislature.

\"A lot of people will say this bill is a mandate. I would beg to differ,\" Representative Mike Brandenburg said, describing the bill as an effort to standardize and modernize coverage rather than to impose an unfunded requirement. The bill would remove a lifetime dollar cap and instead require coverage for specified cycles and procedures and direct the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) to provide a report and proposed language for applying the change to the private sector.

Tara Harding (formerly Bradner), an infertility advocate and provider, told the committee PERS's current $20,000 lifetime maximum is insufficient because medication, monitoring and procedures consume that amount quickly. \"That $20,000 gets burnt up before someone hardly gets out the door,\" Harding said, and she urged the committee to revise the cap or coverage design.

Shana Beadle and other patients gave detailed accounts of multi-stage treatment paths—from oral medications and intrauterine insemination (IUI) to IVF—and cited out-of-pocket costs ranging from several thousand dollars for monitoring and drugs to $30,000–$40,000 or more for an IVF cycle in some clinics. Patients and advocates urged the committee to remove the $20,000 limit or replace it with a coverage design that reflects contemporary costs.

Derek Cobine, chief operating and financial officer for PERS, testified in a neutral capacity and summarized Deloitte's actuarial analysis. He said the fiscal note estimates a biennial cost to PERS (examples and ranges were discussed during testimony) and that the actuary used PERS-specific utilization data. Committee members asked whether the fiscal note assumptions reflect realistic utilization; Cobine said the biggest uncertainty is how many members who currently stop at the $20,000 cap would seek additional care if coverage expanded.

Andrea Fenig of the Greater North Dakota Chamber opposed Section 2 of the bill as drafted because it would require PERS to produce language that could extend mandates to private employers; she said employers are already facing rising health-care costs and that additional mandated coverage would increase premiums and employer burdens.

Dr. Anna Tobias, representing the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (North Dakota section), testified in support and described infertility as a common medical condition for which insurance coverage is generally limited. The committee heard both patient impact testimony and neutral fiscal analysis; no committee vote was recorded at the hearing.","House Bill 1282 would change public-employee fertility benefits by removing a $20,000 lifetime cap and specifying rounds of treatment; proponents including patients and medical groups said the cap is inadequate, while business groups warned mandates would raise private-sector costs and PERS provided a neutral fiscal analysis.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6363552,"Committee Hears Bill to Protect Infertility Care and IVF from Government Limits",1885,1399000,3284000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2166130-623d657c81e0789feedec8680238cca8&start=1399&end=3284","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2166130-623d657c81e0789feedec8680238cca8/thumbnail_1399000.jpg","/articles/6363552/North-Dakota/Committee-Hears-Bill-to-Protect-Infertility-Care-and-IVF-from-Government-Limits","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6363552-9261617b6134720298e604f8e450c45b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440218&Signature=LYbuJRRe9Q87hGGmGa-Iec278INCA6VjeF4LkV4fusL9ZLjOIUtF3EWjF6KzOatHUK51auuYlTxVevmv3Z2IqYEF6zRazChTy36EXELdMpjt2xnt11Nz~kpvTnEkESeJX1dUs874UzzKUnpCHHA~GKs2nWj-xkXFhZTXWKaJBcT02T2i2OvnuQlZgx--2~ac7ziswUIjtSrT27XL77AvFn-BQSPAk2IdaZtDbKWRM0ACWA6U9u7Fci-1m2MVjWCnke47rCF2NqlZPc8PZ7l51klnUe9BsZp9WiVaUKYBf71bPFOIMOKmoVMOFF1hsrBfipaPJnmmqcZX1W~45DApkw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Carla Rose Hansen opened the House Human Services Committee hearing on House Bill 1477, saying the measure would define fertility health care in statute and bar state and local government interference with infertility treatments including in vitro fertilization (IVF).

\"Let's keep the government out of our doctors' offices,\" Representative Carla Rose Hansen said, asking the committee for a due-pass recommendation and noting two technical Medicaid amendments she intended to offer.

Dr. Stefan Christiansen, a reproductive endocrinologist who established an IVF program in Fargo, described the scope of IVF care in North Dakota. \"In 2023, we completed 520 cycles of IVF,\" Dr. Christiansen said, and he said the clinics in the state recorded \"over 200 babies born from IVF in this state\" in 2023. He told the committee that about 3 percent of U.S. births are conceived with IVF and characterized restrictions or bans on IVF as potentially devastating: he said court decisions and personhood measures in other jurisdictions have halted IVF services.

Hansen and witnesses warned that proposals to redefine personhood or otherwise extend protections beginning at fertilization could unintentionally criminalize or limit standard fertility practices, including embryo freezing used for cancer patients' fertility preservation. Hansen cited an Alabama state supreme court decision she said had treated embryos as people and temporarily shut down IVF clinics there; she also referenced prior North Dakota personhood ballot measures and current bills in the Legislature with related language.

Multiple patients and advocates testified in support. Alyssa Bratton, who described having endometriosis and using IVF to build her family, and other parents described long, costly medical journeys. Tara Harding (formerly Bradner), who runs infertility-support activities and a clinic, told the panel that infertility is a medical condition affecting roughly one in six couples and criticized misconceptions about IVF.

Committee members asked clinicians about the number of embryos commonly created in a cycle, how many embryos typically survive to blastocyst stage, and whether clinics or patients commonly discard embryos; clinicians described standard clinical practices including single-embryo transfers and freezing of remaining embryos. Witnesses said it is uncommon for patients to request embryo destruction and described lab safeguards and rules intended to prevent past abuses.

No opposition testimony was offered on HB1477 during the hearing. Representative Hansen asked the committee for a due-pass recommendation and distributed proposed technical amendments related to Medicaid.","House Bill 1477, introduced by Representative Carla Rose Hansen, would place definitions and protections for fertility health care into state law. Physicians, patients and advocacy groups testified that the measure is intended to prevent local or state restrictions that could impede IVF or embryo-freezing practices.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee Hears Bill to Define and Protect Contraceptive Health Care Rights

Bill Would Expand Public-employee Fertility Benefits; PERS Fiscal Note, Employers Raise Cost Concerns

Committee Hears Bill to Protect Infertility Care and IVF from Government Limits