Today I posted another post on Facebook. There's about half as many "likes" as when I "came out" yesterday, and absolutely zero comments, but I hope some people read it and learned something, and maybe I made a small step towards changing someone's view towards mandating insurance coverage for infertility.
This is what I posted today:
In honor of National Infertility Awareness Week, I will be posting a brief topic of interest each day on the subject to support my fellow infertility warriors.
Today I want to touch on insurance coverage. In 13 states, infertility coverage is mandated by law. For people who find themselves incapable of conceiving on their own, this is a huge relief. For those of us who don't live in those states, or whose insurance has a loop hole, the cost of trying to have a child can be overwhelming.
I want everyone to stop and think - what if you were told you had cancer, and only a 5% chance of spontaneous remission each month without treatment, with a cumulative 20-30% chance of long term survival. Testing alone costs upwards of $3000. Then there's a procedure that cost $3000 each month which would give you a 20% chance of being cured each month, with a maximum of 60% chance of cure after 4-5 months. Or you can pay $10-15k for an invasive surgical procedure with 50% chance of being cured, which you can try repeatedly with a cumulative 85% chance of remission regardless of how many times you try.
You'd want insurance to help you pay for that, so you can survive, right? Well, for the vast majority of couples facing infertility, their insurance covers little to none of that.
I know some of you are thinking, "But having a baby isn't life or death!" For those of us who have always dreamed of being parents, sometimes it feels like it's life or death. The depression rates for infertility patients is at the same level as those who have been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
I ask all of my friends who have children to imagine that someone kidnapped your child, and told you to cough up $10-30k for an 80% chance of having that child returned to you. Dreadful, right? That's the stuff of nightmares. Well, right now, for infertile couples, that's pretty much the options they face. Pay the money or risk never seeing your child be born.
The chance of having a child is essentially financial Russian Roulette. How many times can we afford to try before we bankrupt ourselves? Can we refinance our home? Can we max out credit cards? Can we beg family for private loans? At what point does continuing to try to have a child of our own become financially irresponsible? Are we willing and able to spend another $10-30k to adopt after failed treatments?
Insurance companies that cover these services are able to negotiate discounted rates with providers up to 60% cheaper than what their clients who pay themselves are charged. Having access to treatment at an affordable price can alleviate much of the stress and panic of finding yourself diagnosed infertile.
Having a child should not be a privilege of the wealthy and fertile. Infertility is a serious medical condition, and should be treated as such by laws mandating insurance coverage across this country.
#niaw2014 #infertility
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