My wife and I need health insurance, but we are currently doing IVF (invitro). Who will take us?

We're also both very healthy with no explanation as to why we can't get pregnant.

You should know that some underwriters may consider the fact that you are undergoing IVF as a risk, and it may lead to you being unable to get a health insurance policy at all.

There was a recent lawsuit in the state of Indiana (I'm not even sure if all of the appeals are done yet - it was that recent)...at the crux of the problem was a couple who purchased an individual health insurance policy knowing that they were undergoing IVF. However, they did not disclose that on the application.

The insurer put 2 + 2 together *after* the woman gave birth to 2 premature infants who needed extensive medical care. Unfortunately, the family's policy was retroactively terminated back to the effective date due to the failure to disclose the IVF on the application, and every payment that had been made to any doctors or hospitals was taken back...this left the family on the hook for over $200K plus in medical bills.

The insurer's argument was that if the family had disclosed the IVF on the application, they never would have given them a policy to begin with. (Because of the financial risk involved - even though the IVF itself wasn't covered, the pregnancy and its complications were.)

(Of course, the family filed a lawsuit and tried to make the argument that they didn't feel that the IVF needed to be disclosed on the application. The insurer won, to the best of my recollection...not sure what has happened in any appeals though?)

Anyhow - the relevant point of that to you is that the insurer would have considered the fact that she was undergoing IVF to be reason to deny coverage (had it been disclosed to begin with). You may find yourself in that same situation - getting denials from insurance companies due to the IVF and potential underwriting risk. But, every company rates conditions differently - you might find one who will take you.

(Definitely don't lie on the application though, otherwise you might find yourself in the same boat as that Indiana family who will likely go bankrupt over their medical bills.)

Take a look into the MySimpleCard network of physicians.
Make sure the IVF specialists are on the network. If everything
checks, sign up for it - they will very likely not deny you.

You can probably get insurance, but at a high cost.
Once you have a preexisting condition they won't cover it anyway for a varying number of months or years. You will have to ask you agent about it.

Try Primarica's health insurance company. They take a lot of people that most others will not. When choosing an agent, choose one that has been around for a while to ensure they know what they are doing.

Try Aetna. Most of their plans cover three round of IVF. I have them and they already covered one round. You don't have to tell them your undergoing treatment. Just take a few weeks off if you have to when you sign up.

I don't think IVF would be covered by insurance if that's what you are looking for-It's an elective procedure

You should include which state since laws vary. In Fl it's
not possible to obtain indv coverage while having invitro & once pregnant & w/some companies, up to 3yrs after completing IVF. Talk to Health Agents in your area & consider a no-preex plan which is a combination of insurance & a discount program. Be specific w/exact type of IVF & find out if covered & what % (if any) covered for child birth. Sometimes it's just not worth the monthly premium. Other than that, one of you can find a job for an employer who offers group coverage- good luck w/everything.

Well, anyone probably, but they won't cover IVF, and you're not likely to get maternity benefits on a private policy, either.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment:

Archive: Forum -Forum -Finance - Links - 1 - 2 - RSS - All RSS Feeds
The Causes and the Results. 0.104
Copyright (c) 2011 Financial Crisis Monday, May 28, 2012 - Terms of use - Privacy Policy