| For many couples facing infertility, the largest hurdle | | | | aren't funding aggressive treatments for a couple |
| is how to finance costly infertility treatments. IVF can | | | | that simply has not gotten pregnant but show no |
| cost tens of thousands of dollars for a single cycle, if | | | | signs of infertility. As a result, policies might require |
| you're paying out of pocket. (Interestingly, if you are | | | | that a couple be married for some period of time and |
| considering adoption as an alternative option to | | | | have tried to get pregnant without success for at |
| infertility treatments, you may find that cost won't | | | | least a year. Sometimes that needs to be backed up |
| be your deciding factor, as the legal and agency fees | | | | with reports from the woman's OBGYN or primary |
| involved in adoption are pretty similar to the cost for | | | | care provider. Many plans will also require that a |
| a single IVF cycle.) If you visit infertility forums or | | | | couple try less aggressive (and less expensive) |
| infertility support groups, you'll quickly see that for | | | | treatments like medication or IUI before providing |
| many women multiple IVF cycles were the key to | | | | coverage for IVF. Finally, most insurance plans will limit |
| becoming pregnant. So -- are there ways to avoid | | | | the number of IVF cycles they will cover. Anywhere |
| paying out of pocket for all this? | | | | from 3 to 5 appears to be a typical range these |
| Fortunately the answer is probably yes. If you have | | | | days. |
| health care coverage through your employer, check | | | | Be sure to understand when your insurance company |
| to see whether infertility treatments are already | | | | will consider an IVF cycle to have begun. That might |
| covered. If they are not, contact the insurance | | | | require a phone call to the insurance company if it's |
| company to see whether it offers a supplemental | | | | not spelled out clearly in the policy documents that |
| policy. A supplemental policy is simply another policy | | | | you read. The reason for this is that often a fertility |
| with monthly premiums that specifically covers | | | | doctor or clinic will stop an IVF cycle midstream if it |
| infertility treatments. There's no reason your | | | | looks like it won't be successful (for instance, if the |
| supplemental policy needs to come from your | | | | woman is not producing the number of expected |
| primary health care insurer if they do not provide | | | | follicles). The fertility doctor or clinic might then adjust |
| one. You should shop around and compare premiums, | | | | the treatment protocol (dosages of medications for |
| coverage, and any criteria that you must meet | | | | instance) to get better results on the next cycle. If |
| before coverage begins. Supplemental infertility | | | | your insurance company considers your IVF cycle to |
| insurance will usually cover diagnostic fertility tests, | | | | have already begun as soon as you begin injectable |
| artificial insemination, fertility medications, and other | | | | medication, for example, it may be in your interest to |
| types of assisted reproductive technology like IVF. | | | | see the cycle through to the end even if your doctor |
| Be careful to look at the conditions to these | | | | thinks that your chances of getting pregnant on that |
| supplemental policies (or, if you are lucky enough to | | | | protocol are lower than he or she would like. Explain |
| have coverage through your primary insurance, look | | | | to them that you've got for example "3 strikes" with |
| for conditions spelled out there). An insurance | | | | your insurance company, and you don't want to lose |
| company is motivated to encourage the lowest cost | | | | one on a cycle that isn't taken through to completion. |
| treatment options possible, and also to be sure they | | | | |