Financing your treatment or protocol for ART cannot only be draining financial, but also physically, emotionally, socially and morally. There are several courses you can take to try and alleviate that you and your partner bear the financial burden completely. Some of these courses entail taking out loans or second mortgages, borrowing from friends and family, utilizing your 401K or Flex Spending Accounts (FSAs). Whatever road you end up going down, know your options because what you can afford may end up driving your decision regarding the course of fertility treatment you choose. For example Medicaid does not cover infertility treatment, which raises ethical questions about access to health care and questions pertaining to patient rights. If you end up utilizing your 401K plan, remember there are conditions and penalties, so make sure you do your homework on which course of action is right for you.
Anyone who is contemplating choosing a clinic because it provides a “money-back guarantee” if they are not successful, needs to be very informed prior to entering into any type of agreement with the clinic. Make sure you understand the probabilities of cycle success based upon your diagnosis and that particular clinic.
Those who live in New York may not be aware of the “The New York State Infertility Demonstration Program”. New York State began this program in 2002 and provides a yearly grant to selected medical centers in order to help eligible patients meet the cost of infertility treatment. The treatments covered are: initial patient assessment, medications, egg retrieval, anesthesia, embryo transfer, radiology and laboratory fees, in addition to urology services, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), testicular sperm extraction and even cryopreservation of embryos. There are requirements too. Coverage for these services is based on:
- household income (less than $200,000)
- age requirement (21-44 years)
- private insurance – although the private insurance is not required to provide any fertility coverage. Exclusions include 3 prior failed or cancelled IVF cycles, and medical conditions that would contraindicate pregnancy. The amount covered by the grant is scaled, but in some cases up to 97% of IVF treatment costs can be covered by the grant.
Here is a list of the online financing companies that have special rates, terms and conditions for those of you who decide to finance your ART.
