You’re excited about becoming a parent, you simply cannot wait to start trying. But month after month you keep trying but you simply cannot conceive. It’s a devastating feeling.

What can you do next?

After speaking with a doctor, you find there are infertility issues. But not to worry as there are ways that can help you. 

Infertility Treatment.

That phrase can be a bit terrifying to hear. Especially when you learn just how expensive it can be.

But you have healthcare coverage through your employer, does it cover the costs?

It is more likely these days that your employer-provided health insurance covers infertility costs.

Why?

Because infertility has become more common in both women and men. It has been classified by The World Health Organization as a disease.

However, some employers believe that including infertility treatment in the employee healthcare would raise the costs dramatically.

Let’s see why.

Why Is Infertility Treatment Not Included in Healthcare Insurance?

The costs for treatments vary based on the type of treatment that a person choses, medicines, surgery or assisted conception.

Assisted conception is one of the most common and most expensive. Intrauterine insemination (IUI) and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) where costs can range from approximately $500-$72,000. 

Even though there are an estimated half million successful births a year with the assistance of infertility treatment, insurance carriers take the position that this is not medically necessary.  Since infertility issues have long been considered a “woman issue” when in fact half the cases are due to “male factor infertility”.

Which kind of brings us full circle because in order for the human race to survive, we need both men and women to be able to reproduce!

This is why including infertility treatment in healthcare is vital.

How Is Including Infertility Treatment in Healthcare Beneficial?

The lack of mandated insurance coverage for infertility treatment, simply implies that this disease is not worthy of any financial assistance and it minimizes its importance to the patients. 

But with the treatment cost for infertility being as high as it is, employers believe insurance premiums would go through the roof. 

This is not the case. 

Over the past five years we’ve begun to see a new focus on fertility benefits of all kinds among the largest employers.  

Improvements in treatment protocols, shifts in workforce demographics, a sharper focus on inclusivity, and a broader definition of what constitutes a person’s health and well-being has driven employers to stop and take notice of these changes. 

As health and well-being continues to become more of a focus in today’s society, employers are realizing that a happy employee is a productive employee. 

Since the largest employers are often trendsetters, it seems likely they’re the leading edge of a broader movement . Especially since 97% of the  vast majority of survey respondents said that adding infertility coverage did not result in a significant increase in medical plan cost.

Times are changing quickly in healthcare with the direction being in the positive. As the workforce continues to change and more employers expand medical coverage to help benefit their employees, we shall continue to see hope for the future and our survival.