Berkeley Parents Network: Insurance and Fertility Treatments

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Insurance and Fertility Treatments

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Insurance > Insurance and Fertility Treatments

Employers who offer coverage for IVF?
Dropped by Insurance bc/of Fertility Treatment?
Should we switch insurance to pay for fertility treatments?
More Advice about Fertility Treatment

Employers who offer coverage for IVF?

May 2008

Hi all, my husband and I have been trying to conceive our first for several years now. We've even done a round of IVF. And now we are going to have to do a second one, but nether of us has coverage for it and raided our retirements to pay for the last cycle. Since I'm not really in love with my job I'm tossing around the idea of getting a new job at a place that has coverage for IVF, even if it is part time. Does anyone know of a resource to find out what employers offer coverage for IVF? Or does anyone work for a company that offers coverage? Thanks! Not Fertile Myrtle

There are two sources that I know of...

1. http://www.ivfconnections.net - go to All Boards (I think you'll have to become a member but it's free and the best resource out there about IVF). Then select the board called Financing IVF. I saw one woman posted a list Nov 07 of companies that have at least some coverage.

2. http://www.inciid.org/article.php?c...rance101&id+243 - this is another list with more detailed info on the coverage. Good luck! anon

Kaiser Permanente employees who opt for the mid or high level plan get supplemental coverage which covers IVF. And I heard that their Fremont fertility is one of the top 5 in the country for IVF success (or fertility success - not sure which). Considered IVF

Check out Conceive Magazine. I perused it while at the doctor's office and they had an article about the best companies to work for based on adoption and fertility coverage. anon

Dropped by Insurance bc/of Fertility Treatment?

Oct 2007

I am going to see a reproductive specialist in a week and a half. A friend of mine who has been through IVF told me that when her husband got a sperm analysis he was dropped by his insurance carrier. She has since been deemed uninsurable after taking Clomid. The reason she said was because insurance companies realize that with fertility treatments the chances of multiple births and early delivery rise. They were both using individual plans.

I am starting to freak out because my husband and I have an individual plan, and because of our careers will probably never be on a group plan where this sort of thing doesn't happen.

Has anyone had experience going through fertility treatments while enrolled in an individual health plan?

I should also mention that I am paying out of pocket for my treatments because I know that my plan does not cover fertility treatment.

Any advice that anyone has on this subject (soon) would be greatly appreciated! Freaking Out

I am no expert on insurance companies and really, really feel for you. As someone who paid for private insurance through a long fertility process, I want to let you know that my insurance SAID that they did not cover ANY fertility treatments. But, in actual fact, they covered most of the blood work and of course all of the hospital; birth, amniotic testing,..... thousands of dollars.

I had to pay my endicrinologist and the pharmacy myself, but a whole lot more than I expected was covered.

Of course they jacked up the rates as I went along! Started pregnancy at $300 a month by the end, they had me at $750! After the medical OK, I switched policies and started second pregnancy at $200something and ended it at $830ish..... of course I had to drop it and now my children have coverage but I don't. (What? Am I going to charge it? When could I pay it back? Never so, and it's been several years now....a check up is under $100, so, no accidents!)

In the final accounting, it was a lot less $ to have insurance than pay as you go. Plus, if there were medical problems..... Been through the mill, but have healthy kids!

you can be dropped from an individual policy for fertility or anything else ranging from breast implants to cataract surgery. you cannot be dropped from a group policy for the same things. best advice is to get group insurance through work. if that isn't possible, you can occasionally get a rider w/ your policy. good luck! self-employed MD

Insurance companies cannot drop you once you have a policy in place unless you have lied or omitted information about health issues, including past or ongoing fertility treatments. If they could drop you for having fertility treatments, they could drop you for any catastrophic issue, like organ transplants or cancer. Because they can't drop you, they make you go through a rigorous underwriting process, and they can pull your medical records. Carriers can also decline to offer you coverage. For instance, they will not offer you coverage if you are pregnant, or if you are a man who is expecting a baby with anyone, even if the partner and baby are not coming onto the plan with you. The insurance companies can raise your rates based on claims history. The rates can be anywhere from 25 to 100% higher than standard if your health history or claims history with them warrants it. Most individual insurance plans do not cover fertility treatments. I would recommend consulting an independent broker who specializes in individual and family plans to help you. Anon

Should we switch insurance to pay for fertility treatments?

Dec 2006

Hi and thanks for any information that you can offer us, we had have not the best experience with Kaiser at Oakland, Our insurance doesn't cover infertility I can not even pay for this separately, Kaiser business policy or wherever. My wife Oby there, make us think that there is not hope, when there is not a test yet confirming anything wrong. I'm dessapointed, frustrated, and getting old. I saw the advices about fertility centers but I'm not sure to what health insurance we should switch, anyway, if somebody can recommend us also fertility doctors would be great, we decided to start all over. Thanks, best for you all Jeff

Hi There! My husband and I have 7 month-old twins and went to a wonderful fertility center called RSC out in San Ramon (there is also one in Orinda). We worked with Dr. Galen who is the head guy there and a real expert who's been in the field since the begining. We live in Kensington, but strange enough the only woman I've met so far with twins near my age-- she's also in the neighborhood-- also went to the same center and doctor! She had a very good experience there as well. She used to attend a twins group out in Walnut Creek and most of the women in the group were also Dr. Galen's patients. We had Kaiser, but they discontinued fertility coverage just a few months after we began the whole process. We ended up paying for IVF out of pocket. The cost is around 12,000 depending on the amount of drugs you'll need. But, hey, most people spend twice that on a car . . . You can go to RSCbayarea.com Good luck!!

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