Making your budget work for you during IVF treatment.

For many, the biggest concern about starting fertility treatment is about how to finance IVF. The best thing you can do to ensure that you understand the cost of treatment and have a plan to pay for it is to discuss it beforehand with your clinic’s financial specialist and your insurance company. You can empower yourself by getting all the facts and understanding the full scope of your financial commitment so there aren’t any surprises down the line.

Finding the Clinic that Fits Your Financial Goals

There are almost 500 IVF clinics in the United States, and each one is unique. Pricing is based on many factors, such as location, treatments offered, whether or not they work with insurance, and the types of loans, grants, and other pricing programs they offer. Websites such as FertilityIQ can help you sort through top clinics based on your personalized criteria to narrow down your options. Once you determine the clinic or clinics that you’re interested in based on their quality of care, you can then start to explore what they offer financially. While it may be tempting to go with a clinic that offers the cheapest services, it is vitally important to make sure that the physicians are highly rated and have a strong track record of safe and effective treatment.

Determining How to Finance IVF with Insurance

Whether IVF is fully or partially covered by insurance varies by clinic, your unique insurance coverage, and by state. When you are considering fertility treatment and weighing the cost of different potential treatments, the first thing you should do is contact your insurance provider to determine if your insurance covers any aspect of fertility care, and if so, which treatment. Many clinics are able to work with your insurance to ensure that you are provided with the highest level of coverage and are undergoing the highest quality treatments based on what you can afford. Your insurance reps and the clinic’s financial counselors are there to help you, so never hesitate to ask any questions you have about how to finance IVF.

Finding the Most Cost Effective Treatments for Your Needs

Fertility care is not one-size-fits-all. While in vitro fertilization (IVF) is probably the most well-known treatment, there are numerous other treatments offering varying levels of support from hormone therapy all the way up to donor eggs and surrogacy. Your treatment will begin with a consultation where your provider will learn more about your fertility history, goals, and what testing and treatments may be appropriate. Once testing is complete your doctor will have a clearer picture of whether IVF will be necessary or if you are a candidate for a more affordable, less complex treatment such as intrauterine insemination (IUI).

Loan Programs Designed to Help Finance IVF

There are a number of loan companies that specialize in fertility care lending. If you’re struggling to figure out how to finance IVF, the right loan program could put you on the path to both receive the treatment you need and pay for it on a timeline that works for your budget. Typically, each clinic has a lender or short list of lenders they work with. You can both work with the clinic’s financial counselors to understand your options and also connect with the lenders directly to figure out what type of loan best fits your needs.

Fertility Care Grants Aimed to Make Cost Less of a Barrier

Cost should never be a barrier to starting a family and there are many grant programs out there aimed at providing financial support that, unlike loan programs, donate the funds for your fertility treatment as a gift. Because of this, grant programs are of course highly selective and geared toward those most in need, but there are many to choose from that each serve unique groups of people. If you are looking for that type of full financial support when figuring out how to finance IVF, it’s an option worth exploring from the very beginning to see if it’s possible to get any treatments covered.

Ask About Your Fertility Clinic’s Discount Programs

Along with loans, many clinics also offer discount programs for anyone from low-income families to military veterans. With any program like this, it’s important to understand the exact terms of the financial agreement.

While it can feel daunting to figure out how to finance IVF, you are not alone. No matter what treatment you’re pursuing and what your budget is, there is an avenue to make your dreams of a family come true. Pacific Northwest Fertility is here to support you in finding the most affordable and cost-effective option for your treatment. Schedule an initial consultation today to get started.