Crowdfunding for Adoptions, Fertility Treatments

E brought this article, Crowdfunding for Adoptions, Fertility Treatments, to my attention and I thought it was very interesting:

Hopeful parents to be are turning to crowdfunding sites to raise thousands of dollars from friends, family and even complete strangers.

This just brings to the forefront that insurance companies need to get their act together.  ART techniques including IUI and IVF, should be covered by ALL insurance plans.  People should not have to use up their entire life savings to have a child.  Not everyone can naturally have a child and it is not fair that they should be punished for this.  I understand that there would most likely need to be a monetary limit put on these techniques, but to not even cover one cycle is absolutely absurd!

Vent Over!  

T-3 weeks until the start of our next cycle!

How Fertile Friendly is Your State?

Can we all move to Massachusetts?

Look at the coverage they are required to provide people dealing with infertility:

Mandate Information

•All insurers providing pregnancy-related benefits shall provide for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility including the following: artificial insemination; IVF; GIFT; sperm, egg and/or inseminated egg procurement and processing, and banking of sperm or inseminated eggs, to the extent such costs are not covered by the donor’s insurer, if any; ICSI; ZIFT;
•Insurers shall not impose any exclusions, limitations or other restrictions on coverage of infertility drugs that are different from those imposed on any other prescription drugs;
•Insurers are not required to cover (but are not prohibited from covering) experimental infertility procedures, surrogacy, reversal or voluntary sterilization or cryopreservation of eggs;
•Employers who self-insure are exempt from the requirements of the law;
•No lifetime cap on coverage;
•No maximum IVF cycles.

My state ranks in the top 10, but I am still super jealous of what the residents of MA are able to get.  When will people start viewing infertility as a disease/disorder and provide adequate coverage for it.

Infertility and Insurance (or the lack thereof)

The other day I had a conversation with my sister, M, and it got me thinking: why do most insurance companies have inferior or non-existent infertility coverage?  

M was commenting on the fact that she had been treated for an eating disorder 3 times at an intensive outpatient facility.  It cost the insurance company thousands of dollars a day.  I believe there was a 30 day limit.  This meant it cost the insurance company a minimum of 50K for each stint - a grand total of at least 150K!  Meanwhile, my company's insurance plan covers $0 for infertility and E's plan (luckily) has a 30K lifetime max.  Honestly, I do not see the equity in this.  

A while back, I remember a friend said, well of course insurance companies do not cover IVF, so few people need it.  Oh thanks - that makes me feel much better.  I get it - a lot of people do not use this service - but I do not use services that other people use on a regular basis (chiropractor, physical therapist, psychiatrist, etc) and I am still paying for it.  Is that fair? 

I wish insurance companies were more flexible.  Like, okay - you never used our services for anything other than preventive care, we will throw you a bone and let you use the money you are paying for insurance for something you actually NEED.  Hmmm, imagine that....interesting idea!  Glad I thought of it.

Think Positive, 
Cat