The Senate version of the recently enacted health care reform does not provide any obvious, direct relief for couples looking for infertility health insurance coverage. Upon closer inspection there are areas where our friends in Washington have taken away, and places that show a glimmer of hope. Much will change over time as more details begin to emerge. Take a look at what can be learned from a high level overview of the bill.
I was interested to see what help the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" offered, if any, to couples facing infertility. One can learn very interesting things by downloading the 2,409 page PDF document available online. Adobe Acrobat provides a handy word search feature that allows us to quickly see what, if anything was done to address the needs of couples trying to conceive.
So I typed in a number of keyword phrases, and got the following results: Infertility: 0, IVF: 0, Fertility: 0, In Vitro Fertilization: 0, Assistive Reproduction Technology: 0
Okay so it seems that the new law does not provide any obvious direct help for couple trying to conceive. Is there indirect help? Let's try typing in "pregnancy" as see what comes up. We find twenty one entries; now we may be onto something! The entries break down to these categories:
- Establishment of a pregnancy assistance fund to help pregnant and parenting college students.
- "A sense of Congress" to study the mental health consequences of women "resolving" pregnancy.
- Funding tied to state-established goals to reduce teen pregnancy rates.
- Personal responsibility programs designed to educate adolescents on abstinence, contraception, and sexually transmitted diseases.
- Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) as it relates to oral healthcare.
- Removal of cost share for counseling and pharmacotherapy for cessation of tobacco use by pregnant women.
It seems we are out of luck once again. Funding and attention are allocated to preventing pregnancy, and keeping already pregnant women healthy, but nothing about helping get people pregnant.
Flexible Spending Accounts can be very useful for infertile couples. Pre-taxing helps lower costs for the very high level of unreimbursed medical expenses associated with infertility treatments. Let's see if the bill provides any help in this area? The news is not good. Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts contribution limits have been capped at $2,500 for any plans with tax year's beginning after December 31, 2010. It still makes sense to utilize your FSA to keep costs low, but a $2,500 limit does not make much of a dent in a $15,000 IVF payment.
Let's not give up yet. There are those state run health exchanges to examine. Their principle purpose is to provide some level of coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions. The funds by nature lose money for the states that currently run such programs; which means your benefit may exceed your premium. Each state is given some level of flexibility it how it will set up and run its exchange. Perhaps there may be something for infertility hidden amongst these exchanges.
And then there is prescription drugs: 136 mentions, and a few that aren't related to Medicare (the program for people over age 65). Perhaps we can explore these topics in another article. Stay tuned.
Find out more about how to leverage infertility health insurance to cut costs, and indirectly fund infertility treatments.
Kevin Haney is a licensed health insurance agent helping growing families generate maternity leave income, and protection just in case by using supplemental family health insurance benefits.
Filed under Health Insurance by on Sep 6th, 2010. Comment. 
Individual Health Insurance w/ Maternity Coverage?
Hi I am in need of Individual Health Insurance with Maternity Coverage, but not with Anthem BCBS. Do you know of a company that provides what I am looking for? I know there is a 6-month Maternity waiting period, and I'm fine with that. I make too much money to qualify for Medicaid or state/discounted health insurance, so I know I will have to pay for it myself, but I'm having a hard time finding a policy with Maternity Coverage.
I am NOT pregnant already, just trying to plan ahead.
i wish i could help you. a lot of companies wont except you if you are already pregnant cause they consider it a pre existing condition. good luck and i hope you find something
once again...not a mind reader
Filed under Health Insurance by on Sep 6th, 2010. Comment.
Assurant Health Insurance Company of Arizona is one of the premier medical insurance companies in the state of Arizona. Of course, Assurant of Arizona is not the only choice in the Arizona health insurance market so read on to learn a little more about the different Assurant AZ health insurance plans available and if they make sense for your health insurance needs.
A company that has been growing within the United States, Assurant is given a rating of A- by A.M. Best meaning that they are doing everything they are financially stable and able to pay claims. The company was founded in 1969 and is based in New York; however the health care division of this great company didn't get founded until 1982; so it's a relatively new company within the "top dogs" of health insurance. Although it is relatively new to the United States, Assurant has established themselves as a global company that operated in the countries of Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, Spain, Italy, Argentina, Brazil and Puerto Rico.
Although Assurant is not as big as some other ones in the state of Arizona, they do offer some great plans that can be of benefit to many people. They offer health care coverage to people that aren't covered through their employers or other groups and they cover about 1 million people within the United States. It is important however, to shop around before deciding on which Arizona health insurance company to sign up with. Based on their ratings by A.M. Best, Assurant's underwriting companies (Time Insurance Company and John Alden Life) are one of the top sellers in temporary health insurance and the company was one of the first ones to introduce Health Savings Accounts (HSA's) into the market.
Within the state of Arizona the company offers 4 plans that are all fairly comprehensive in nature. Below you will find the 4 plans listed with a brief description of each one. The description will not include every piece of information possible about the plan, but it will summarize the most important things about it and the cost for each coverage option.
1. Coremed: One of the best things about this AZ health plan is that it offers you the option of locking in your rate for up to 36 months if you were to enroll and that you will be protected anywhere in the world. You will use the PPO network meaning that you won't need the need of referrals when it comes to getting a second opinion or going to another doctor. You can also receive what they call a "Healthy Discount" if you maintain good health, which will give you 10% off services.
The beauty of this plan is that you can choose from a variety of deductibles according to your health care need. They offer deductibles from $0 to $10,000 with the highest deductibles having a lower monthly premium because they pay higher out of pocket expenses. Copays for doctor visits in case you have a deductible are $35, while you have to pay $45 if you don't have a deductible. For prescription medications you will only pay $15, however if you want more than a generic medication you will have to pay $25 plus 50% co-insurance after a $500 deductible (the family deductible is $1,000). Hospitalization cost varies with deductible (it can be $0, $200 or $750) and you will pay a $75 fee for going to the emergency room.
2. Maxplan: When you apply for this plan you can expect a response within 48 hours and you can also lock in your rate up to 36 months depending on the coverage. You will also be covered everywhere in the world, be offered the "Healthy Discount" if you maintain good health and be using the Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) network. The deductibles on this plan range from $0 to $25000 making some of the rates lower than the Coremed plans.
Co-insurance for the services range from 0 to 50% and the out-of-pocket maximum can be $7500 or $10,000 depending on the plan you choose to purchase. Just like the other plan, you only pay $15 for generic medicines and refills, while brand name and specialty medicines have a deductible of $500 for individual and $1,000 for families.
Apart from the deductible you will have to pay a $25 copay plus 20% co-insurance. There is no limit on office visits and if you have a deductible you should expect to pay $25 while no deductible plans should expect to pay $35. The emergency room fee is also $75 and hospitalization is covered after you meet the deductible.
3. OneDeductible: This type of plans is Health Savings Account compatible and is very famous within the state for that same reason. It is chosen by many members because the plan can protect you from large medical bills, provides tax advantages ad keep premiums affordable. This type of plan has an individual deductible plan ranging from $0 to $5,000 and a family deductible from $2,000 to $10,000 accordingly. The prescription coverage, office visits and preventive services are covered with an emergency room fee of $75. Hospitalization is also covered.
4. SaveRight: This is the other side that Assurant offers to Health Savings Account members. The customer will only have three choices of deductibles: $2,200, $3,000 and $5,100 for an individual with the family deductible being two times that. Office visits and prescription medications are covered, however with prescription medications you will have a $2000 out-of-pocket maximum for brand and generic combined. Hospitalizations are also covered and emergency room visits are the same as the other plan ($75).
Although Assurant is not as big within the United States yet as compared to the more familiar names like United Healthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, and Humana it has accomplished many things in the little time is has been in the Arizona health insurance market. The numerous plans and choices that they offer are very beneficial for people looking to save money on insurance. The best way to decide which Arizona health insurance company is right for you is to compare quotes from multiple companies. Get started finding Arizona health insurance today!
Filed under Health Insurance by on Sep 6th, 2010. Comment.