Thursday, January 29, 2009

You know what they say about people who ASSUME…..

I finally got around to calling my insurance provider to find out about what fertility treatments would be covered. Silly me, I figured that, since my RE was covered in their plan, they would cover some type of treatments.

They don’t. The only thing they only thing they cover is getting diagnosed. Isn’t that nice of them? I kind of feel like I was dropped in the middle of nowhere with nothing but the clothes on my back, and told that it was up to me to figure out how to get back home.

I’m really not sure what to do with this. I guess The Hubs and I are going to have to have (yet another) serious talk.

Dammit.

7 comments:

Staci said...

wow, im so sorry. :(

Staci said...

wow, im so sorry. :(

Rebecca said...

I am sorry. I am in the same boat. Our insurance doesn't cover squat related to infertility...but will pay for an abortion. How's that for irony? Hang in there, you're not alone.

Tash said...

Here from L&F, I'm so sorry.

My insurance also didn't cover ART (I had mild IR, sort of PCOS-lite, same protocol). A couple things: Not sure where you live, but a lot of RE's are very used to dealing with patients whose insurance does not cover their treatment. Ergo, many (mine in my old state) have plans set up for people who pay cash. (And a lot of docs these days prefer cash anyway to waiting around for the insurance co. to hagle and wait for months to cut a check). The might offer a cash discount, and in some cases, payment plans or a sliding scale. I'd have a sit down with the biz person at your RE's.

Second, PCOS will necessitate metformin or something similar, and you might find out if you can ask your RE to work with a run-of-the-mill endocrinologist to get you this perscription. Since it's essentially a pre-diabetic condition, it should be covered. (Oddly, my insurance without being prompted covered my met perscription but nothing else.)

Finally, ask what else he'd like done and see if you can't run back to your OB and have them do it. Sometimes if things come out of that office your insurance is more likely to cover it.

I'm really so sorry for all of this. It's a big effin' hassle on top of an already huge one. Thinking of you, and best wishes moving forward.

Leslee said...

Our insurance does not cover IF either. We funded our fresh IVF cycle ($13K) by refinancing our house. We pinched pennies for the two subsequent FETs ($3000 each) and 5 dIUIs ($1000 each), only moving forward with the cycle once we had all the money in line. It's been a rough journey, but we've been able to stay on top of our finances by paying for everything outright instead of depending on credit.

I'm working with my gyn to get as much covered by insurance as I can... under the guise of other things. My endo surgery and PCOS testing has been covered, so my RE lets my gyn know what he needs tested to get that taken care of. It's worth a try... she's covered over $10K of testing/surgery for us that way!

All the best,
Leslee
babyattheend blogspot

Baby Smiling In Back Seat said...

Sorry to hear that. Insurance and IF are mortal enemies!

I am working on a Trick Up My Sleeve (as I call it on my blog) to obtain insurance that covers ART. It's not definite yet, so I haven't been posting the details, but it's looking good. There are geographical particulars, so I don't know if it would work in your state. If you email me, I can tell you more about it to help you figure out if you could do something similar.

Good luck!

Katie said...

Ugh isn't that the most awful feeling? I just found out a few days ago that my insurance covers NOTHING, meds, tests, NOTHING for infertility. Thankfully a friend let me know a majority of the "first step" drugs are only $4 at Walmart. And her Dr prescribes her meds as things other than IF as well as some of the other girls mentioned. Good luck. TTC is a B ;)