Perhaps in my naivety, I believed I could quietly start a conversation — one rooted not in politics, but in compassion — about how Bermuda’s insurers might begin to support women and men navigating the deeply personal and often isolating journey of infertility.

I thought that if I approached our leading insurance providers directly, I could make the case:

• That this is a real issue affecting real people

• That the desire to build a family is not a luxury but a fundamental human longing

• That support for infertility treatment shouldn’t have to wait for a government directive or public outcry

I wanted to see if we could begin a movement — not political, but humane — to expand access to care without the usual red tape.

So I reached out. I initiated conversations. I spoke with people in various capacities, hoping to spark something — understanding, empathy, maybe even change.

What I encountered, however, was all too familiar: “Well, you know, when you increase benefits, you have to increase premiums.”

While that may hold true in public healthcare systems or large-scale insurance markets — where high-cost procedures such as hip replacements or chronic care can drive up premiums — this logic does not fully apply to private insurance in Bermuda, especially when it comes to infertility coverage.

It’s a line that might work as a talking point, but it doesn’t land well when you are holding a statement of benefits that includes generous coverage for, say, 20 visits to a chiropractor or chiropodist, extended prescription medications for seniors and comprehensive psychiatric care — all important services in their own right — or when you notice that prescribed contraceptives are covered, a progressive and essential benefit, yet the support for reproductive health suddenly stops at infertility.

What message are we sending? That reproductive choice is worthy of coverage only when it’s about prevention? That your mental health matters — unless it’s the mental anguish of a couple who have tried for years with no success? That physical wellness is covered — except when it involves reproductive organs not functioning as hoped?

We have insurance policies that cover well-baby visits — routine check-ups and preventive care for infants — and yet the treatments that would give someone the chance to even reach that milestone remain out of reach.

Imagine being covered for care once the baby arrives, but not for the care that might help you conceive in the first place. It’s a cruel irony and reveals a deeper gap in how we define essential health services.

Infertility is not rare. It is not someone else’s problem. It affects one in six people globally and, in Bermuda, we are not immune.

This is not a call for endless spending or unsustainable promises. It’s a plea for perspective.

It’s time for Bermuda’s insurers to step forward — not because any government told them to, but because it is the right thing to do.

• Arianna Hodgson is a former Progressive Labour Party senator and election candidate