A question we have been asking ourselves for years. Why oh why? The answer we are given is that reproduction is voluntary. You don't NEED to be fertile. So medically, anything related to your fertility is considered an elective medical procedure, and is not covered. Right along with breast implants. Logical? Maybe when you look at it like that. But I think not! Here's why I think this system is completely skewed:
Medical insurance companies claim you can only get coverage for conditions or diseases that are out of your control. Say you discovered through a routine exam that you developed diabetes or even that you have cancer, or you were driving home one night and got into a nearly fatal collision. These are fine examples of things that are completely out of your control, right? You might think so at first, but think about it. Couldn't all these things have been avoided? Yes, with "preventative medicine" doctors are always talking about, it could. For Diabetes and even Cancer; a better diet and environment. And as for the car crash; defensive driving skills. But insurance companies certainly never punished these people by denying them coverage even though they very well could have caused their own conditions! Could you imagine? How crappy would that be?
From www.dreambaby.com, this is a direct quote from a physician, Craig R. Sweet, M.D., that I found quite helpful in explaining the reasons why fertility treatments are considered "elective" to insurance companies:
"During the 1960’s, with the development of the oral contraceptive pill, an entire generation was suddenly able to control its reproductive destiny. Then, when abortion became legalized in 1973, women were given an additional tool with which to control their reproductive lives. Both forms of reproductive independence came with a price. If fertility was an elective decision, was not infertility also controllable and essentially an elective process?
It is of no surprise that this concept of elective fertility/infertility continues to be an issue. Well-meaning friends constantly often encourage infertile couples to “relax” or “take a vacation” in order to conceive. These not-so-subtle remarks imply that the couple somehow has control over their fertility. In truth, they have minimal control.
It should be clearly understood that for the vast majority of patients, infertility is simply not elective but acquired – they do not choose it. One would not say that a patient chooses to have cardiovascular disease. In reality, patients may contribute to their risks through sedentary life-styles, obesity, smoking and alcohol consumption. Still, patients are relatively innocent bystanders to a disease process. Infertility is really no different.
The argument is building. Infertility is a disease, a symptom of an underlying disease and it is rarely elective. Because of society’s current mistaken perception that infertility is elective, insurance companies and employers rarely offer infertility coverage."
And there you have it. What I've come to learn is that infertility it's self is actually a sign of several other debilitating medical conditions such as PCOS and Endometriosis. Both cause devastating and even painful symptoms I can personally promise you that you wouldn't want to live with. Not only is it shocking to learn that to treat these conditions, you have to dig into your own pocket, but it is heartbreaking. So, what can we possibly do to convince insurance companies to offer coverage for infertility? It's a long road ahead, but it looks like things are slowly beginning to change. Dr. Sweet explains further:
"Patients are feeling confident enough to begin to question the perspective of elective infertility, the failure of insurance companies to cover infertility and the failure of employers to offer infertility healthcare. It has become increasingly apparent that it is not appropriate to exclude infertility treatments that attempt to remedy medical issues that are preventing the conception of a child.
Interestingly, as patients with increasing confidence and self-assurance have spoken up about infertility and the lack of adequate insurance coverage, they have slowly become aware that it would be necessary to describe infertility as a type of disability. It has become a form of obligatory self-deprecation. On the one hand, the infertile patient seeks recognition of his or her problem as a medical disease, just like everyone else’s. On the other hand, the infertile patient simultaneously moving infertility into the disability arena in order to prove discrimination."
So, maybe we do have a chance at coverage for infertility after all. Probably not in time for our cycle unfortunately, but we can still dream--not just for us, but for the entire population of infertile couples out there. While it is a characteristic of infertile couples to feel all alone in the world, we know, consciously, that we are not alone. So let's keep on fighting!
No comments:
Post a Comment