Gonna-quickly-run-through-what-I-learned-today-because-I'm-sleepy-and-I-have-to-do-it-all-again-tomorrow.
***Please forgive my rants (and future rants) about frustrating insurance and subsequent predicaments. I so realize I am truly blessed to have any coverage whatsoever***
- I had my IVF Consult with existing RE, Dr. K (aka Dr. Diet Coke as she always has three at her desk) This was also the meeting I needed to make the determination whether I was going to use this clinic or not given the fact that their lab stuff is independent and out of network.
- How much is really lab vs. doc when it comes to IVF anyways??? Answer: lab/surgery group: 85% Highly Educated Reproductive Endocrinologist: 15% (not including meds)
- What 2009 Liv would have told 2008 Liv when researching RE's LAST year... ask the question above whilst researching RE's!!! Oh, and out-of-network coverage doesn't mean 70% vs. 90%...it means 70% after a $6000 deductible. Oh, and put a $500 bet on the Kentucky Derby horse with the 50 to 1 odds, because then the above...wouldn't matter.
- Insurance covers 3 IVF including ICSI, and PGD testing, (and supposedly meds...awaiting confirmation) up to 90% . This just through this year as I have met my in-network deductible of $3000.
- The only part that is in-network with Dr. Diet Coke RE office is only $2400 of a $12-13,000 expense.
- I have no shame in saying "vaginal suppositories" when speaking to the insurance company when inquiring about covered perscriptions.
- I actually learned nothing new from my RE IVF consult. I already knew how a Lupron vs. Antagonist protocol worked, ICSI (which may or may not be necessary), and the risks of injectible medications. I also already knew about a study they were a part of that offered $2000 payment towards costs. And I found out about that completely independently from their information.
- Despite covering 3 complete IVF's including ICSI and PGD...My insurance company DOES NOT COVER FET. Makes absolutely zero sense to me. They said it was b/c they put it in the same category as surrogacy. (can you feel my anger? I'll post more on this later...)
- They also do not cover any of the freezing/crypreservation of embryos should we have leftover fertilized from fresh cycle
- It will cost me $5000 FREAKIN' dollars if I use Dr. Diet Coke RE office whom I know and love. Yet even with this $5000 cost, it still goes against my 3 lifetime limit.
- Supposedly new RE is completely In-Network for everything. I'm still leary of this, and the practice as I have no other information to judge them by....until I check it out myself. Wish me luck.
I'm sorry this is so complicated, Liv!! How frustrating. We just had a lifetime dollar limit (which we eventually massively exceeded, unfortunately) so that made the decision of who to go with (in/out of network) easier.
ReplyDeleteOne thing to remember (or maybe not, because who needs these decisions to be any harder?): It is also (in my unscientific opinion) 85% the lab that determines the success and 15% your dear, beloved RE. I think you mentioned before that the other clinic had good rates, too, so maybe this is irrelevant, but you really need a place that can nurture your embryos as well as is maximally possible. For us the emotional cost of each cycle was really big in addition to the financial cost and I really, really regret the cycle we did with Less Good Local Clinic (which was relatively cheap) when we could have gone with Much Better Fancy Clinic and spared ourselves the emotional costs of a really crap cycle. But then, we were very fortunate to be in a place where we could take on the financial costs, as painful as they were.
A girl who knows how to research. Good for you. That is crazy that they don't cover FET. They must have weird surrogacy laws in your state.
ReplyDeleteWow- it just gets more and more complicated, doesn't it? The only thing I know to do is to pray for you and your hubby- that God will give you wisdom to make a difficult decision with no clear answer. "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him"- James 1:5
ReplyDeleteAlso- thank you so much for taking the time to comment on my post. I really appreciate your advice and you have calmed me down a bit :) I'm going to assume I ovulated- stay positive right!
Frustrating and bizarre. How does FET even equate with surrogacy?
ReplyDeleteGood luck Liv!