#49 Illinois Fertility Mandate: A Vital Lifeline for IVF and Surrogacy - Ryan Ferrante

What if your insurance actually helped you build your family?

In this conversation, surrogacy attorney and longtime advocate Ryan Ferrante joins Dr. Alyssa Small Layne to break down how Illinois is setting a national standard for inclusive, patient-centered fertility coverage.

They discuss how advocacy, state legislation, and redefined infertility standards are expanding access for LGBTQ+ families, single parents, and anyone needing third-party reproduction—including surrogacy. Whether you're facing frustrating denials, unclear mandates, or sky-high costs, this episode will leave you feeling empowered to ask better questions, get involved, and know your rights.

🎧 Press play to learn why what’s happening in Illinois could be a blueprint for the rest of the country.

What You’ll Learn:

• 02:33 — How Ryan’s surrogacy journey led him to legal advocacy

• 07:47 — Why Illinois is considered the gold standard in fertility access

• 10:46 — The major shift in how infertility is now defined—and why it matters

• 16:34 — What “surrogacy-friendly insurance” really means

• 22:48 — Could embryo transfer and screening be covered in Illinois? It’s possible.

• 24:52 — The non-binding referendum that 72% of Illinois voters supported

• 30:45 — What’s now covered under Illinois fertility mandates (hint: PGT, IVF, and more)

• 34:23 — IVF and abortion rights: why they’re more connected than people think

• 38:30 — How to advocate for change in just two questions: why am I here, and how can you help?
  

Resources Mentioned:

• 🧭 Resolve: The National Infertility Association

• 📝 Federal Advocacy Day

• 📘 American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)

• 🧡 BloomBridge App — includes the Surrogacy Step-by-Step Guide & Cost Calculator
  

“Advocacy isn’t just for lawmakers—it starts with a story. And that story might be yours.”