If you are looking at the possibility of fertility treatments at some point in the not too distant future, then you probably already know that they don’t come cheap.
Regular health insurance doesn’t ordinarily cover fertility treatments, and since the average cost of in vitro fertilization, for example, is usually between $10,000 to $20,000—paying for these expensive treatments could cause a financial strain on the average couple’s budget.
But before you arbitrarily decide that your present health insurance doesn’t cover infertility treatments—ask and find out for sure, one way or the other.
Here are some things you should ask your insurance provider:
- Ask if you have coverage for fertility treatments
- If the answer is yes, get it in writing
- Ask if your policy will cover diagnostic infertility coverage
- Find out if your policy will cover the cost of IUI, or Intrauterine Insemination
- Find out if you have coverage for IVF, in vitro fertilization and if cryopreservation, intracytoplasmic sperm injection and/or frozen embryo transfer are included
- If the answers to these questions is Yes, then find out if the insurance company requires prior authorization
In addition, you should find out these things:
- Limits to policy coverage for fertility diagnostics and/or treatments
- If your policy will cover injectable medications
- If there is a specific doctor or laboratory you must use for benefits to be paid
As things stand now, only 15 states require insurance coverage for fertility treatments.
You can learn about which states require this coverage at www.resolve.org.
Know your alternatives if your insurance coverage does not extend to fertility treatments. For instance, many medical practices participate within the IntegraMed national network of fertility practices.
These will offer the Shared Risk Refund Program, which basically guarantees that if the fertility treatments fail and you do not become pregnant and take a baby home, you get a refund.
An impressive 76% of participants in the Shared Risk Program have taken a baby home!
If you are a young couple just starting out, and don’t have insurance coverage yet, it would be a good idea to shop around and find a policy that will cover fertility diagnostics and treatment.
As the old saying goes: It’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
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