Infertility: Part 3

I had orthognathic jaw surgery December 2008. The recovery was a lot more difficult than I expected. I spent three days in the hospital. Right after Christmas I got the flu, throwing up with your jaw rubber banded shut is no fun! I lost 15 pounds in three weeks. Kelly had surgery a week after I did, to have a rod taken out of his leg from a skiing accident. We were both in bed with miserable pain. I am very grateful to have a wonderful mother who took care of Kelly and me. Love you Mom!!

As soon I recovered from surgery I went and had a consultation at the infertility clinic. Dr. B read my whole history and suggested that I do invitro fertilization (IVF). I knew this would be the next step so I wasn't surprised. I worked for a company with unheard of benefits; it was based out of New Jersey where they require insurance companies to cover infertility treatment. The insurance would cover 3 IVF cycles a lifetime and even had adoption assistance which would cover $10,000 in costs.

I can't express how blessed I was to work for a company with these benefits. I know our decision to do IVF would have been more difficult and maybe even different without these insurance benefits. It was no coincidence that I had a job with these benefits at the right time in my life. Heavenly Father was answering my prayers even when I didn't realize it.

I know this subject is controversial but I think that health insurance should be required to cover infertility treatments or at least have some kind of government tax credit similar to the adoption credit. I also think autism should be covered as well. I do think there should be some sort of limit on coverage; such as X number of IVF cycles and limit the number of embryos transferred. I like Illinois law; Each patient is covered for up to 4 egg retrievals. However, if a live birth occurs, two additional egg retrievals will be covered, with a lifetime maximum of six retrievals covered. (Illinois State Law Section ILCS 5/356m)

Here are some facts I find interesting. (resolve.org)

• "Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system.  Infertility affects 1 in 8 couples." (2002 National Survey of Family Growth) 
• Approximately 85-90% of infertility cases are treated with drug therapy or surgical procedures. Fewer than 3% need advanced reproductive technologies like in vitro fertilization (IVF).
• Offering a comprehensive infertility treatment benefit with appropriate utilization controls may actually reduce costs and improve outcomes by eliminating the inappropriate use of costly covered procedures and allowing specialists to use the most effective, efficient treatment for a specific type of infertility. (Infertility As A Covered Benefit, William M. Mercer, 1997)
• A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (August 2002) found that the percentage of high-order pregnancies (those with three or more fetuses) was greater in states that did not require insurance coverage for IVF. The authors of the study noted that mandatory coverage is likely to yield better health outcomes for women and their infants since high-order births are associated with higher-risk pregnancies.
• Fifteen states have passed laws requiring that insurance policies cover some level of infertility treatment: Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and West Virginia.

What do you think?