Many people find they cannot conceive without help. Men and women alike remain affected by this problem, but it also impacts LGBTQ people and those who aren’t married but would like to have a child. In fact, estimates suggest 10 percent of women or their partners have sought medical help to achieve this goal. Nevertheless, quite a few individuals find the cost of fertility help remains prohibitive, and most insurers don’t cover the treatments. Unfortunately, this leaves many individuals unable to have a child.
Infertility
People seek help to conceive for a range of reasons. Although advances in science provide more options when it comes to getting fertility help, treatment options remain inaccessible to countless people. Certain insurance plans cover diagnosis to determine why pregnancy remains out of reach. These tests may identify an underlying issue that with treatment will remove the barriers to pregnancy. However, at times, intrauterine insemination or in-vitro fertilization becomes necessary, and LGBTQ and single men and women benefit from these options. However, many insurance programs don’t cover these treatments.
Cost
Private insurance and Medicaid offer limited coverage for fertility services. The out-of-pocket costs vary significantly by location, provider, and insurance coverage, and quite a few individuals find they cannot afford the services. Some states today require private insurers to cover all or part of the treatment, but 35 states do not. Furthermore, only one state’s Medicaid program covers the cost of any fertility treatment, and this program doesn’t pay for in-vitro fertilization or intrauterine insemination. When considering the cost of fertility treatments, explore all options to find the one that best meets your needs.
Disparities
Black and Hispanic women use fertility services less frequently than their white counterparts, and experts say this is due to the lower average income seen among these groups. In addition, many men and women have misconceptions that may result in their refusal to seek help. Finally, there are other barriers that interfere with their ability or desire to seek help with their fertility issues. Sadly, these groups tend to be the ones that need the most help.
Furthermore, members of the LGBTQ community find they encounter barriers when they need help to conceive. A common problem involves the definition of fertility. If they don’t meet this definition, they may find they cannot get the services covered. They must then pay out of pocket, which becomes costly quickly, or they may discover they need to give up on having a child of their own.
Any person undergoing gender-affirming care will run into challenges if they wish to conceive. They don’t meet the established criteria for iatrogenic infertility. As a result, they don’t qualify for fertility services that are covered by private insurers and Medicaid.
Single parents often find they struggle to find the funds for fertility treatments. For example, many plans say the couple’s own sperm and egg must be used in a procedure to have this treatment covered. This becomes an issue when a single person wants to have their own child.
Any person with a fertility issue should investigate all options to find the one that best meets their needs. This varies by the individual, as one person might suffer from iatrogenic fertility while another person has a low sperm count that is interfering with their ability to conceive. Work with medical professionals to find the right option for the problem you are experiencing, and discuss the cost of the different procedures. Individuals who do find they remove some barriers to infertility and have a better chance of having the child they dream of.