The Washington Post, NPR and Kaiser Health News explored if sharing the risk can help tame the cost of infertility treatment. “Infertility treatment is a numbers game in some respects: How many treatments will it take to conceive a child? And how much can you afford?”
While some insurance companies are providing more fertility treatment coverage, many patients don’t have sufficient benefits to cover the cost. This article looks at how patients are managing the cost of fertility treatment whether it be through self-pay financial programs, specifically looking at Shady Grove Fertility’s Shared Risk 100% Refund Guarantee for IVF or Donor Egg, or through new options like Glow First.
- Read the NPR Story
- Liz & Geoff enrolled in Shared Risk to conceive. Ready their story.
Shared Risk 100% Refund Guarantee for IVF or Donor Egg
First introduced by Shady Grove Fertility in 1993, Shared Risk offers patients undergoing IVF or donor egg treatment a simple guarantee: take home a baby or 100% of your money. When Shared Risk was first introduced many patients thought it was too good to be true but after nearly two decades of success – and over 8,000 new families – the program continues to grow and provide men and women with a financial safety net when considering fertility treatment. In fact, about 82 percent of Shared Risk participants will go on to take home a baby.
The Shared Risk 100% Refund Guarantee Includes:
- Up to 6 cycles of IVF or donor egg Treatment for a flat fee
- Embryo cryopreservation
- Unlimited frozen embryo transfers resulting from the fresh IVF or donor egg cycles
- Cycle Monitoring: This is defined as bloodwork and ultrasounds completed during the stimulated IVF cycle.
Glow First
Another other the article reviewed was Glow, a new and innovative app that launched in August 2013. Offers patients two things: first, it is a free mobile application available for iOS users (iPhone, iPad, etc) offering women the ability to track and provide them with insights about their reproductive health. By having women track their ovulation, Glow will be able to inform women and their partners of their fertility window and their changes of conception.
Secondly, along with the app, users can apply to take part in Glow First, a not-for-profit fund for couples just starting their fertility journey. Participants contribute $50 per month over the course of ten months. This money goes into a pool what will be divided equally amongst any participants who did not achieve a natural pregnancy after ten months while using the Glow app. The first group that began contributing in October 2013 has just ended. Roughly 50 people participated, according to the company. The payout to those who didn’t become pregnant was $1,800.
If you are ready to schedule an appointment at Shady Grove Fertility, please speak with one of our New Patient Liaisons at 877-971-7755.
