I'm looking into being a GS for my cousin in the next year and I'm wondering about insurance coverage. I talked to my HR and my work policy specifically states the following exclusion.
24. Any services or supplies provided for, in preparation for, or in conjunction with:
• In vitro fertilization;
I'm guessing this means it wouldn't cover the IVF, but it would cover the pregnancy? I don't want some loop hole where they say that the pregnancy is in conjunction with IVF. Has anyone else had this issue?
Also, is it "wrong" to let my company pay for this?
I actually called my insurance carrier last night and staright up asked them if it would be covered. I told her it would be a surrogate pregnancy through IVF. She said the IVF is not covered, but the pregnancy is - they don't worry about who will be raising the baby.
Your insurance shouldn't pay for the IVF or the delivery. That falls on your cousin.
And be careful about not mentioning that this is surrogacy. It is surely to be part of your medical record and that could be a problem if they don't cover pregnancy related to surrogacy or IVF.
Your best bet is to meet with an attorney (even for a consult) that specializes in surrogacy.
Yes it is wrong to let your company pay for this if the insurance doesn't cover it. I am absolutely appalled that people would suggest you just lie to your insurance company or hide it from them, pretending the baby is yours.
Whomever has contracted with you for the surrogacy bears the financial responsibility for their child. That is why your work policy expressly states that they do not provide coverage for anything related to the IVF. I would think that carrying the baby is a pretty big "in conjunction with" IVF.
The best thing to do is to be absolutely honest and ask your employer "I am considering being a gestational surrogate for someone. How does my insurance cover the pregnancy?" That is the right and ethical thing to do. If they pay for it, more power to the two of you. If they don't and you lie about it then it is insurance fraud.
usually insurance companies do not cover anything to do with surrogacy on your end, it is up to her insurance to cover the costs. They may be a way around that if you are not getting paid to carry the baby. I know tricare states point blank that if it is found that pregnancy services were used for a surrogacy pregnancy the person will be billed for the services, since it is the obligation of the "mom" not the surrogate to pay for health care.
The person for whom you are performing this wonderful service is responsible for paying for all maternity care. It would be wrong for your fellow employees (through their portion of the premiums) and your company to bear the expense of a service you are providing.
The only way to know for sure is to call the insurance company and specifically ask.
Do you have maternity ins? If so don't tell them you are going to be a surrogant it would be covered then.
Yes, the parents to be should pay for medical services. And yes, it would be wrong to let your insurance pay for it. In fact, it could be considered insurance fraud which is a felony. You definitely need to consult an attorney
Our insurance doesn't cover IVF but it covers pregnancy. Call your insurer if you are in any doubt. Explain that you understand IVF is not covered (and I understand why) but you wanted to make sure that all prenatal care and delivery would be covered AFTER you become pregnant via IVF. You don't need to go into the who surrogacy conversation -- it is not their business.
From everything that I have understood, it is the couple wanting the baby who pay for the expense of the pregnancy NOT the host. Just like if they were having the baby themselves. They should be looking at their insurance to see if it is covered. YOUR insurance should not be the one covering the pregnancy.
You are reading your policy correctly. It will cover the pregnancy, L&D and recovery. Your intended parents' insurance, if they have insurance that includes IVF, will cover IVF up through egg retrieval and fertilization but the transfer and all of your drugs will have to be paid by them out of pocket. Once the pregnancy is established, your own insurance will kick in just as with any other pregnancy. My employer self-insures, which means that it can get away with changing the rules mid-game so our attorneys had the intended parents purchase a separate insurance policy for me above and beyond my work policy in case my employer fought the coverage. The additional policy cost them appx $350 per month for 10 months. We didn't end up having to use it and I had no problem using my own insurance. I don't think it's wrong - if you were giving up a baby for adoption, it would be the same type of thing and no one would call that wrong.
Edited to add - do NOT mention this to your employer, HR or insurance company. If and when the time comes to pursue this, the attorneys who are handling the contract and who are experts in gestational carrier issues will guide you with what to tell whom. And regarding the thought that pregnancy should be excluded because it resulted from IVF, um, NO lol. The whole point of IVF is a pregnancy. Once a woman is pregnant, unless an insurance contract literally stipulates against surrogacy (as TriCare does - that's military health insurance and this was added in recent years when it became obvious that army wives made attractive surrogates due to their generous health plans) then it doesn't matter how a woman got pregnant or why, the pregnancy would be covered just like any other.
Good luck!
IVF is a separate procedure and process than prenatal and delivery. The way I'm reading this, they won't pay for the IVF process BUT if you conceive through IVF, they will cover the pregnancy.
Your cousin should look into her insurance b/c the IVF portion may be covered for her!
I would strongly suggest that you pose this specific question to either your HR person or a "random" phone call to the insurance company.
Everything I've heard is that the pregnancy will be covered no matter what you plan to do with the baby. On the twin board I am on, this is what several women found when they became surrogates for their sisters/cousins/friends. I don't remember hearing there were any exclusions -- except for IVF -- and that's excluded by many insurance companies no matter the purpose of the pregnancy.
