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[Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or medical practitioner. Any medical information is strictly my opinion based on research and personal experience, and not to be taken as advice. Always seek the advice of a licensed physician for your medical needs. Read my full disclaimer here.]
Please don’t make these same mistakes I did — if you have been referred for fertility testing, try my 3 top tips to help you save money!
After a year of TTC, my husband and I were not quite ready to go to a legit specialist. Not only were we not ready to accept that we were “struggling with infertility,” but we also knew our insurance would cover nothing coming from a “fertility clinic.” We were referred to another OB/GYN who supposedly specialized in this sort of stuff.
Long story short, he did some blood work, my husband went and got tested, and everything looked normal. Then, he suggested a HSG (hysterosalpingogram) test (read about that experience here). It seemed like the logical next step, after all, and he dealt with this all the time. So I scheduled the appointment. Without thinking too much.
Yes, I researched it a bit — what to expect, how painful it really was, how long it would take — and did I think to check how much it typically costs? Yes, I did. The first google result told me between $201 and $858. And, well, I figured my insurance might cover some of the cost — after all, they do this test to make sure your tubes aren’t blocked, and that’s not just a fertility issue. But even if my insurance didn’t, well then, sure, I was willing to spend $500 bucks or so — if this would be give me some answers. Heck, even $858.
I’ll spare you the details of the test and fast forward to opening up my mailbox months later. And opening up a bill for $2,378.
WHAT?!
After going back and forth on the phone with my insurance company and the doctor’s office for months, I was eventually stuck with a bill for $1,676. I think I’m still waiting on another part of that bill from the lab, to be honest.
So, before you start ANY sort of fertility testing or treatment, please do these 3 things first to try to save yourself some money:
1. Call your insurance company and find out what they will cover.
Yes, calling and dealing with insurance companies sucks. But you know what sucks even more? Dealing with insurance companies after they’ve gotten a claim for thousands of dollars that they refuse to pay. So, even if you’re 99% sure they won’t cover anything…or if you’ve made the same mistake as me and have already gotten a EOB saying they won’t cover anything…it’s still worth a call to double-check. (For the record, when they re-submitted my claim after I called, they did end up actually covering a tiny bit. But hey, a hundred bucks is a hundred bucks.)
2. FIND OUT THE COST OF ANY PROCEDURE UP FRONT.
I know that sounds SUPER OBVIOUS and I feel like an idiot. But turns out Google’s “price estimates” are not always accurate. (And by the way, find out the cost INCLUDING labs, doctor’s fees, procedural fees…everything.)
3. Read this book! Seriously.
If you don’t do anything else, at least do this one thing. Here’s why: Perhaps the most frustrating part of this whole thing is a) knowing that this test would’ve been cheaper at the Fertility Clinic that we did end up going to in the end; BUT EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY b) knowing that the test probably wasn’t even needed in the first place. I found that out by reading the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility, by Toni Weschler.
Seriously, this book changed the way I think about trying to conceive. It also made me realize that half of the tests and treatments doctors suggest are all quite unnecessary. Even if you’re not trying to get pregnant right now, read this book! I could go on and on, but I’ll spare you. I think I read the entire five-hundred-page book cover-to-cover in a day and a half. (Don’t worry, you can read it like a reference book too.)
I hope no one else has to experience what I did — infertility sucks enough without having to deal with unexpected bills.
*If you are going to see a fertility specialist, check out my list of things to expect.
