Minnesota State Law

A 1994 Minnesota law requires that insurance companies that cover family planning services cannot decline to cover NATURAL family planning services:

The Law (62Q.14) simply states that:

No health plan company may restrict the choice of an enrollee as to where the enrollee receives service related to:

1. The voluntary planning of the conception and bearing of children, provided that this clause does not refer to abortion services;
2. The diagnosis of infertility;
3. the testing and treatment of a sexually transmitted disease; and
4. the testing for AIDS or other HIV-related conditions.

The directive to implement the law was issued jointly by the State Department of Commerce and the Department of Health in September, 1996 and included some very decisive language. For example, the directive states as follows:

Health plan companies cannot use credentialing requirements to restrict where enrollees choose to receive 62Q.14 services. For example, if health plan companies cover family planning services, then health plan companies must pay for NFP services. Therefore, regardless of where or from what type of provider, the enrollee receives natural family planning services, the health plan company must pay for these services.

This info was provided in the context of the first successful attempt by a diocese (St. Cloud, MN) to have their insurer cover NFP.