Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

Childhood Cancer Lantern
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Maryland program

Preserving fertility before chemotherapy (insured plans)

Coverage for certain fertility-preservation procedures when medical treatment can harm future fertility. The oncology team decides when this conversation is relevant.

What it is

Coverage for certain fertility-preservation procedures when medical treatment can harm future fertility. The oncology team decides when this conversation is relevant.

Some treatment can affect fertility later in life, and the only window is before treatment begins. Your child's team says what is possible and how it fits the schedule. Plans Maryland regulates cover the procedure; the clinic's yearly storage charge is on you.

Eligibility rules
  • The rule applies to Maryland-issued individual and group insured contracts when treatment may directly or indirectly cause infertility.
  • Private self-funded employer plans are not bound by this state insurance mandate; a public self-funded plan requires a separate check. A qualifying religious organization with the specified IVF coverage exclusion need not provide the mandated preservation coverage.
  • The statute names no minimum age. Clinical suitability is a discussion with the oncology and fertility teams.
What you get
  • Covered evaluation, tests, medicines and sperm or egg freezing under the state rule.
  • Protection for a covered dependent as well as the policyholder.
What the help covers
  • The covered services include cryopreservation and associated evaluations, laboratory assessments, medications and treatments.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the oncology team whether fertility preservation is relevant and possible for your child.
  2. If you want to explore it, ask the plan which procedures it covers and the clinic what storage would cost.
  3. Discuss timing with the cancer team before deciding on a procedure.

The plan; the Maryland Insurance Administration enforces · 1-800-492-6116 · Official page ↗

After you apply
  • The plan checks the proposed services under the applicable contract. The cancer team coordinates any preservation with the treatment schedule.
Good to know

Ongoing sperm or egg storage is expressly excluded from this mandate. The clinic's yearly storage charge is a separate cost.

Other details
  • The original law applies to covered policies issued, delivered or renewed from January 1, 2019 and includes covered dependents. It has no minimum age; medical necessity and clinical options require assessment. Ongoing sperm or egg storage is outside this mandate. Public self-funded plans need their own document or separate-law check.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could treatment affect our child's fertility, and is preservation medically possible? What are the benefits, burdens and storage costs, and could you help check coverage if we want to explore it?”

Why I’m asking: I want to understand this time-sensitive choice without delaying safe cancer care.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

Ask early, and ask what storage will cost each year before agreeing.

Your social worker

The oncology team raises it when it is clinically relevant and refers on.

The care team

The oncologist says whether there is time and whether it is appropriate for this child.

Who decides
The plan covers it; the oncology and fertility teams decide whether it is possible.
Ask the care team
“Is fertility preservation something you would raise for my child before intensive treatment? If so, what does our plan cover, and what does storage cost each year?”

How to apply

First step: Ask the oncology team whether preservation is possible for your child and when the window closes.

  1. Ask the oncology team whether preservation is worth doing for your child and when the window closes.
  2. If it is, ask the plan in writing what it covers and what storage costs each year.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Ask the oncology team whether preservation is possible before intensive treatment, then ask the plan what it covers and what storage costs.

What to gather

  • The plan's summary of benefits
  • The treatment plan and its start date

How long: The clinical window is before intensive treatment starts.

What a yes looks like

Written approval identifies covered preservation services and any remaining preservation or storage charges.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If the plan refuses, ask whether it is Maryland-regulated and take it to the state insurance regulator.

Watch out

  • Storage is outside the mandate. The clinic and plan confirm any coverage and actual charges.
  • Self-funded employer plans sit outside this rule.
  • The oncology team decides when to discuss preservation in relation to treatment; medically necessary cancer care must not be delayed.

Dates that change this

2026-09-11: The Maryland statute has no minimum age. The oncology team assesses treatment risk and clinically appropriate options.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.

What it is worth

Covered preservation can include evaluation, testing, medications and freezing. Ongoing sperm or egg storage is outside this mandate, though a plan or other assistance may cover more.

Covers: Sperm and oocyte cryopreservation · Evaluations, laboratory assessments, medications and treatments associated with it

Legal protection: Covers a covered dependent of a policyholder or subscriber, not only the policyholder · Applies to individual and group contracts with no employer-size floor in this subsection

What it costs the family: Ongoing sperm or egg storage is excluded from this state mandate; the actual plan and clinic confirm coverage, assistance and remaining charges.

The eligibility facts, as published

Plan type
Maryland-issued individual and group insurer, nonprofit health service plan and health maintenance organization contracts. Self-funded employer plans sit outside.
Trigger
Medical treatment that may directly or indirectly cause iatrogenic infertility
Exclusion
Storage of sperm or oocytes is expressly excluded; a religious organization with an in vitro fertilisation exclusion need not provide the coverage
Age
The Maryland statute has no minimum age. The oncology team assesses treatment risk and clinically appropriate options.

The trap: Storing the sperm or eggs afterwards is expressly excluded from what the plan has to cover. Ask what storage will cost each year before you start.

Where I read this

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