Medical Costs of Surrogacy
Medical costs of surrogacy are often the lion’s share of overall costs of the surrogacy arrangement. Expense categories include:
Fertility Clinic Costs for Surrogacy
- Medical Screening of surrogate candidates;
- Medical Screening of egg donors (if needed);
- Medical Screening of Intended Parents;
- In vitro Fertilization (IVF);
- Frozen Embryo Transfer frozen transfer costs;
Surrogacy Insurance
Medical insurance for the surrogate is critical. If a surrogate has medical insurance, it is imperative that an experienced insurance broker with specialization in surrogacy assess the surrogate’s policy to determine whether there are surrogacy exclusions or other potential pitfalls such as self-funded employer programs.
If a surrogate’s health insurance plan is not going to cover her prenatal and delivery or if she does not have health insurance, then there are two options:
- Insurance through the open exchange under the Affordable Care Act. Open season enrollment is between November 15th and January 31st with effective dates of January 1 and March 1, respectively.
- If insurance coverage is not available through the Affordable Care Act, there are complications policies available. This is a more costly option than securing insurance through the Affordable Care Act.
Pre Natal Care and Delivery
Insurance will cover most of these expenses but there will still be some expense that are not covered such as insurance deductibles and copays. If you have a complications policy in place then you need to negotiate self pay costs with the medical providers and hospital.
Some Costs Might Be Offset by Intended Parents’ Insurance
Many Intended Parents do not realize that some of the medical costs of the IVF process may be covered by their insurance. In fact, some states have mandated that insurance cover some costs of infertility. Other states do not have a mandate but some carriers offer coverage for some parts of the medical process. The American Society of Reproductive Medicine publishes an information sheet on state infertility insurance laws.
Having a professional help you navigate these areas can save many thousands of dollars and many headaches.
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