Dr John Burke, deputy chief medical officer at Axa Health, says it is, simply, too expensive and would lead to unaffordable premiums.
He explains: "Infertility can be one of the most difficult issues for an individual to face. It is a medical condition that can have wide reaching consequences and as a company we continually examine our coverage and strive to support our members as much as possible.
"In an ideal world, we’d cover all proven treatment for all health conditions, all of the time, no matter how they’ve come to affect our customers. But to do so would make our health insurance policies unaffordable and unsustainable.
"The costs associated with infertility coverage and the risks of adverse selection that are associated with it mean that, at the current time, coverage is excluded in the interests of providing affordable premiums."
But Alan Lakey, founder of CI Expert, says it goes beyond cost or a fear of "hoo-ha" discussions and back to underwriting known risk: "Insurance plans are designed around a known risk that can be quantified and therefore turned into a profitable contract.
"I am sure that sooner or later some form of cover will be available, but don’t forget, the precept of insurance is to cover a potential event not a known one. So cover will likely only be available to women who are unaware of fertility problems."
And then there is the entirely logical response, as LifeSearch's Walker says, that infertility, in isolation, is generally not life-threatening nor is it a condition that is classified as a critical illness.
This is not to say that no policies will cover fertility treatment, or part of it, as the next article in the guide shows.
However, it is worth making sure prospective protection clients are aware of such limitations, given the prevalence of infertility, and that you are able to provide a financial plan to support them if they need to draw on savings for future fertility treatment.
simoney.kyriakou@ft.com
