By Daniel Wiessner

May 3 (Reuters) - Aetna will pay $2 million and update

its coverage policies to settle a lawsuit claiming the health

insurer required LGBTQ beneficiaries to pay more out of pocket

for fertility treatments than heterosexual people, according to

a Friday court filing.

Lawyers for four people who in 2021 sued Aetna, a subsidiary

of CVS Health Corp ( CVS ) , asked a Manhattan federal court to

approve the settlement, in which the company agreed to establish

a new standard health benefit plan that covers artificial

insemination regardless of sexual orientation.

Previously, Aetna required heterosexual couples simply to

represent that they had tried for six or 12 months to get

pregnant before covering fertility treatments.

But couples who could not conceive through intercourse first

had to pay for treatments out of pocket for up to a year before

they were covered, according to court filings.

Aetna denied wrongdoing in the settlement. In a statement,

the company said it is "committed to providing quality care to

all individuals regardless of their sexual orientation or gender

identity and pleased to reach a resolution to this matter."

Under the settlement, Aetna will establish a $2 million fund

to reimburse beneficiaries for out-of-pocket expenses they

incurred under the old policy. The company also agreed to

re-process eligible claims for coverage and modify its clinical

policies to ensure equal access to fertility treatments.

Emma Goidel, the lead plaintiff in the case, called the

settlement "a big win for queer families" in a statement

provided by her lawyers. Goidel claims she and her spouse were

forced to spend nearly $45,000 on fertility treatments as a

result of Aetna's policy.

A spokeswoman for the National Women's Law Center, which

represents Goidel and the other plaintiffs, said that similar

discriminatory coverage policies are "an industry-wide problem"

and that the group hopes other insurers will follow Aetna's

lead.