Affording Infertility



Know your options!


From the beginning we felt the financial burden of the infertility and me being the frugal, coupon fanatic that I am, I searched and found every way possible to save money along this journey ~ from coupons on everyday items to ways to save money on prescriptions and treatments and I have already began to look into grants and funding for the future just in case (IVF, adoption, etc)!  Always know your options, if the doctor is recommending a medication or procedure that you feel you can not afford talk to them and sometimes they may have suggestions on how to save money or other options that may not be as expensive.

 I will share these along the way and if you have any questions that I haven't addressed yet please feel free to ask!
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INSURANCE  

If you are fortunate enough to have health insurance check with your HR manager or contact your insurance company to find out what they will cover in regards to infertility. Know your copays & deductibles as well as prescription coverage (more about prescriptions later). Some states require insurance companies to provide the coverage ~ each state has different laws and requirements so be sure to check into those. Be sure to check with your insurance companies and the lab or testing facility for an estimate of services anytime you are having any kind of procedure or testing that is not your routine bloodwork so that you are not surprised by a bill.

 I learned this lesson the hard way when we chose to out off the semen analysis because of costs! Unable to afford the $350 quoted by the lab we put it off to the very end. We would have had him tested immediately had we known that insurance covered 100% of it.

 Here is an article from Attain Fertility ~ Infertility Coverage by State
http://attainfertility.com/article/fertility-insurance-state

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DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING & LABWORK 

Initially i went to an office that did not have an in house ultrasound or xray machine. After I received the first bill for my ultrasound I was informed by a friend who works in the medical field that I should consider changing offices. I was billed almost $800 for my first ultrasound because it was done at an office affiliated with the hospital so if fell under the hospital deductible. But they now cost me $0 because they are done in my GYNs office, so unless i see my doctor before or after my lab I do not even pay a copay for my insurance. If you are uninsured I would call all of the diagnostic imaging locations in your area to get an estimate and ask about payment plans so that you can save a little money.

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PRESCRIPTIONS

Even if you have insurance you should always do your research and see if there are rebates or prescription assistance available for that drug. Always check for a generic and make sure its okay with your doctor to get it. Sometimes the manufacturer will offer some kind of discount card or rebate on particular prescriptions. Pharmacies often have a Prescription Card you can purchase for an annual fee that will help save you money as well. Every penny counts when dealing with infertility!

Here is an article from Shady Grove Fertility ~ Medication Programs
http://www.shadygrovefertility.com/medication-programs

**This is a link to a blog I wrote about dealing with Pharmacies and fertility meds that could possibly save you a little time and frustration ~ http://achievingfertility.blogspot.com/2013/10/pharmacy-frustration.html

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OVULATION & PREGNANCY TESTS

My first encounter with the "cost" of infertility was when I went to purchase my first Ovulation Prediction Kit ~ with coupon in hand I found the kits and about fainted....$30 (with coupon) for ONE MONTH!! Im suppose to do this for a year ~ over $300 a year YIKES...
So I left the store and began my research to find them cheaper. After lots of searching and reading review I found 50 ovulation strips and 20 pregnancy test strips for under $15.00. Certainly I wandered why they were much cheaper in the store so I read reviews on several different products and eventually purchased this one: 


I found them VERY easy to use and read!! Most importantly they were on point with the bloodwork. So i would HIGHLY RECOMMEND looking into these if you are in the market for them. Unfortunately I can comment on the pregnancy test except that they never gave me a false positive but the review look good for them to.

Amazon is also a great place to get the basal thermometer if you need one.
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TAXES

Keep track of all your expenses and its recommended you speak with a tax advisor to discuss any deductions or credits you may be eligible for.  You may want to do this before you pursue the treatment and or adoption so that you will know all of your options. 

 For more information on the Adoption Tax Credit and the pending Family Act (Infertility Tax Credit) visit http://www.resolve.org/get-involved/infertility-tax-credit.html

IRS information on Adoption Tax Credit ~ http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc607.html

IRS information on Medical Tax Deductions ~ http://www.irs.gov/publications/p502/ar02.html#en_US_2012_publink1000178933


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