Top Ten Tips for Financing Infertility

One of the most amusing books I have read on infertility is: A Few Good Eggs : Two Chicks Dish on Overcoming the Insanity of Infertility by Julie Vargo and Maureen Regan.

The book is targetted towards infertile women living in the US, and is written in the currently fashionable "chick-lit" style. It's amusingly written; and is a breath of fresh air , if you are the sort of person who finds a sense of humour helps you cope better with infertility.

The book has lots of Top-10 lists, and here's their list of Ten Financial Facts You Need to Know.

1. Infertility is an expensive condition to battle.
2. Your insurance company probably will not cover all of your treatment.
3. Insurance companies often consider infertility treatments to be
investigational and therefore don't cover the.
4. While your insurance may not cover infertility, they may cover the
disease that causes it.
5. Some doctors will let insurance coverage dictate your treatment plan.
6. There are creative ways of financing infertility treatments.
7. Some clinics offer a reimbursement program if treatments like IVF
are not successful.n
8. You need a budget and a financial plan if you are undergoing
infertility treatment.
9. Infertility treatments are a financial gamble because money doesn't
guarantee success.
10.Nothing in life is free.

Here are my comments on this list.

Remember that most of these apply to couples in the US; and if you are lucky to be living in France or Israel ( where the government pays for IVF treatment), then you can skip this section !

1. Infertility is an expensive condition to battle.
Unfortunately, this is very true. We have lots of patients who can get pregnant with IVF treatment, but who just cannot afford it. This is such a shame !

2. Your insurance company probably will not cover all of your treatment.
In fact it most probably will not cover any of it if you live in India ! Infertility is excluded from most insurance policies . Actually, there is no good medical reason why insurance companies refuse to cover infertility treatment in India, except for the fact that all they care about it their bottom-line - and it's in their financial best interests to not pay for as many illnesses as possible ! The less they pay out, the more profit they make !

3. Insurance companies often consider infertility treatments to be investigational and therefore don't cover the treatment.
This is is one of the many tired excuses they use to refuse coverage. Even though IVF treatment has been around for over 25 years, and is standard medical practise, it's still considered to be "experimental" and is excluded ! Talk about adding insult to injury !

4. While your insurance may not cover infertility, they may cover the disease that causes it.
This is true. Thus, if you have endometriosis, the insurance companies will cover for an operative laparoscopy; or for medications given to suppress the endometriosis. The trick is to ensure that the paperwork you submit to your company for reimbursement is in order - and that the word infertility does not appear on it. If you claim reimbursement for a laparoscopy done for pelvic pain, they will pay up. If you claim for the exact same surgery for infertility, they will not ! Go figure !

5. Some doctors will let insurance coverage dictate your treatment plan.
Since doctors need to be paid, your treatment plan will often be molded by your insurance plan coverage , rather than your medical diagnosis ! Thus, a patient living in Chicago ( where the State law mandates that IVF be covered) is much more likely to be advised IVF treatment, as compared to one ( with exactly the same diagnosis) who lives in Los Angeles ( where there is no such law).

6. There are creative ways of financing infertility treatments.
You can cut down some of your costs by shopping around for drugs and medications from online pharmacies, for example. If you are young, you can halve your costs by donating your eggs to other infertile couples. This is called egg sharing.

7. Some clinics offer a reimbursement program if treatments like IVF are not successful.
Money-back options are a very useful option, which are well worth exploring. Not only do they give you peace of mind, they are often very cost-effective. They put a cap on your total expense, and also allow you to stick to your treatment plan.

8. You need a budget and a financial plan if you are undergoing infertility treatment.
Unless you are Croesus or Donald Trump, this is true. Not only can treatment be expensive, it can really eat into your resources because the outcome is always uncertain - there is no predicting when you will hit the jackpot.

9. Infertility treatments are a financial gamble because money doesn't guarantee success.
IVF treatment is like buying a lottery ticket. No one forces you to buy a lottery ticket either, but unless you buy a ticket, you are not going to win the lottery - and the more the tickets you buy, the better your chances !

10.Nothing in life is free.
You need to decide how much time, energy and money you are willing to invest in your quest for a baby. If you succeed, it's an excellent investment - after all, a baby is priceless ! Even if you don't, going through treatment will give you peace of mind you tried your best - and this can be invaluable too !