Saturday, July 17, 2010

Surrogate Mothers win Insurance Battle!

Surrogate Mothers Win Insurance Battle In Court
Wisconsin Supreme Court Ruled Unanimously Friday


Text SizeAAAMADISON, Wis. -- Surrogate mothers have won a fight over insurance benefits in the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

The court unanimously ruled Friday that insurance companies may not refuse to pay maternity costs to surrogate mothers.

The case involves a dispute between MercyCare HMO of Janesville and two surrogate mothers denied coverage by the company during their pregnancies.

The company had a policy of covering pregnant women, but excluding surrogate mothers who act as "gestational carriers" for others' babies.

The Supreme Court said insurance companies may not make routine maternity services unavailable to surrogate mothers based solely on the reasons or methods of becoming pregnant.

The decision overturns a lower court's ruling in favor of the HMO.