| When a couple hears the devastating news that they | | | | and they do not require you to max out your credit |
| are dealing with the inability to conceive unless there | | | | cards or get a second mortgage on your house. The |
| is medical intervention, one of the many thoughts | | | | first thing you should do is talk to the billing |
| they will have is how to pay for the treatment. | | | | department of the fertility clinic that you have been |
| Infertility treatment can be as minor as medicated | | | | to, or that your doctor has referred you to and find |
| cycles which assist the woman in developing and | | | | out what kind of payment options are available |
| releasing an ovum, or as complicated as IVF with | | | | through them. |
| ICSI. Medicated cycles can be as inexpensive as a | | | | Some fertility clinics offer low cost loans, reasonable |
| couple hundred dollars, plus doctor office visits, and | | | | payment plans, and some offer what is known as |
| lab work, to the truly expensive IVF cycles with ICSI | | | | shared risk plans. A shared risk plan requires a couple |
| costing between $12,000 and $17,000 plus | | | | to commit to a series of IVF procedures, usually 3, |
| medications, and lab work. For most Americans that | | | | for a set price. If the first IVF procedure does not |
| is a lot of money to spend on a chance to get | | | | take, the second is performed, and the same with |
| pregnant. However, if you find yourself faced with | | | | the third. If the last IVF procedure does not result in |
| the expense of IVF, there are things you can do to | | | | a pregnancy, the couple gets a portion of their |
| afford this expensive medical procedure. | | | | money back. Because the first IVF procedure can be |
| The very first thing you need to do is read your | | | | successful, this can be a very expensive procedure, |
| health insurance policy and find out what procedures | | | | usually costing about $26,000 to $30,000 dollars for |
| and medications are covered and to what extent. | | | | three possible procedures. A couple also has to |
| Sometimes the difference between having a | | | | qualify for the shared risk program, and could be |
| procedure or a test covered or denied is based solely | | | | disqualified due to age or other factors that they |
| on how it was coded by the doctor's office and | | | | won't know about until extensive medical tests have |
| nothing more. Talk to your doctor about how things | | | | been performed. |
| are coded, as well as your insurance company. Some, | | | | Another option is to budget for the procedure and |
| but not all, insurance companies have patient | | | | medications that will be needed. Drastically cut back |
| advocates that you can talk to and find out what is | | | | on all non-necessary spending, and put every last |
| and is not covered. A few phone calls can save you | | | | penny into a savings account so that you can walk |
| hundreds to thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket | | | | into the fertility clinic, cash in hand, and not have to |
| expenses if you know what to expect and what is | | | | worry about your credit rating, interest rates, or the |
| covered before you have a procedure done. | | | | possibility of a shared risk being too successful. |
| A few states do require some form of infertility | | | | Budgeting may seem like a crazy idea, but if you |
| coverage, but what is covered varies among these | | | | were to track your spending for just a week, you |
| states, and any employer that "self-insures" is | | | | could probably find ways to save at least $50, and |
| exempt from the law. A self-insure health plan is | | | | possibly a lot more. Yes, it would take a while to |
| when the employer operates their own insurance plan | | | | save up the money needed to pay cash for the |
| instead of purchasing it from an insurance company. | | | | treatments, but in the long run, you won't have the |
| You can easily find out if your employer's health plan | | | | burden of a successful procedure as well as the |
| is self-insured by just asking or reading your plans | | | | medical bills of giving birth and caring for a baby piling |
| benefits information. To see if your state has | | | | up either. There are options out there, and you need |
| mandated infertility coverage, and if it does what | | | | to do your homework and find out what is available |
| must be covered, visit Resolve's State Information | | | | to you either through your health insurance, fertility |
| on Insurance Coverage at | | | | clinic, medication assistance through drug companies, |
| If you find that little or nothing is covered by your | | | | or just by saving every penny. |
| insurance, don't panic. There are options out there, | | | | |