Figuring out how to get surrogacy covered by insurance isn’t easy. While insurance is always a tricky thing, surrogacy insurance is even trickier — and everyone’s situation is different. However, we’ll do our best to answer your most frequently asked questions and make the process a little clearer for you:
“Does Insurance Cover Surrogacy?”
It would be so much simpler as an intended parent if your insurance provider covered your gestational surrogacy process as if it were a pregnancy you were carrying yourself. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works.
The policies regarding surrogacy coverage will vary from one insurance provider to the next, so the first thing you should do is to reach out to your American Surrogacy specialist to discuss your insurance policy. From there, your specialist will be able to assess whether or not you’ll want to find additional insurance coverage and can walk you through the out-of-pocket medical costs you may be looking at.
Because it’s a case-by-case situation, there’s no easy answer to this surrogacy insurance coverage question until your individual policy has been reviewed by someone who has experience in getting surrogates and intended parents covered. So contact us now to learn more.
“How Does Insurance Coverage Work for our Surrogate and Baby?”
Again, it would be nice if you could just provide surrogate insurance coverage through your own policy to take care of your gestational carrier’s surrogacy-related costs. But because she’s the one who is pregnant, not you, this isn’t how insurance providers usually handle it.
Your surrogate will typically have her own surrogacy insurance, separate from yours. If her policy doesn’t have exclusions for surrogate pregnancies, she’ll usually go through her own medical insurance provider. Even if there are exclusions for surrogate pregnancies, she’ll often be able to get at least some coverage from her own health insurance.
Remember that any out-of-pocket costs (co-pays at the doctor’s office or expenses that aren’t covered by either surrogacy insurance policy) will be your responsibility, as the intended parent. All this will be detailed within your contracts before you even begin the medical process, to ensure everyone involved is protected and has a good idea of whose insurance will cover what.
Your American Surrogacy specialist will help you get your child on your insurance policy, usually before he or she is even born. The pre-birth or post-birth orders that you’ll complete with your attorney can be helpful in this process, but adding a baby born via surrogacy to your policy is typically the same as it is for any new parent. Surrogates are never financially responsible for the medical costs of the intended parents’ newborn baby.
“What Costs May Be Covered by our Provider?”
A lot of intended parents ask, “Does a surrogate’s insurance cover the pregnancy?” The answer: sometimes, but not always.
Some health insurance providers have clauses that exclude the coverage of surrogate pregnancies. So it’s possible that your surrogate’s insurance provider would refuse to cover any costs related to a pregnancy that she doesn’t carry for herself. However, surrogacy professionals review a woman’s insurance policy at the time she applies to become a surrogate, so you would have this information before agreeing to a match.
Even if you or your surrogate’s insurance provider has a surrogacy exclusion clause, they may still cover things like IVF and other aspects of the fertility treatment process.
The best way to find out what your insurance providers will (or won’t) cover in your situation is to talk to your American Surrogacy specialist and review your policy. You may be surprised to find that there are more elements of your surrogacy journey that are covered than you originally thought.
“Can We Purchase Specific Insurance for Surrogacy?”
If you find that your policy (and/or your surrogate’s policy) doesn’t cover surrogate pregnancy, or doesn’t cover as many costs as you had hoped, there are three options:
- Pay for the remaining medical costs out of pocket
- Purchase a new policy for your surrogate if her old policy didn’t cover some of the surrogacy-specific costs
- Purchase a supplemental surrogacy insurance policy
The option that will be most cost-effective for you really depends on your individual situation, so defer to your American Surrogacy specialist for advice. While paying out-of-pocket for whatever costs aren’t covered may seem intimidating, supplemental surrogacy insurance plans can be costly, (premiums can be about $10,000 and deductibles often start at $15,000) as well.
However, those specific surrogacy insurance companies will usually cover your surrogate’s medical costs, so if your current health insurance plans covers very little, this might be the best option for you. If you do decide that purchasing supplemental surrogacy medical insurance is right for you, your surrogacy professional will be the best resource for choosing the best provider for your situation.
If you’d like to learn a bit more about this option, two of the most popular choices for gestational surrogacy insurance are ART Risk Financial and New Life Agency, both of which we’ve recommended to our surrogates and intended parents in the past.
“Is Surrogacy Covered by Insurance Provider X, Y, or Z?”
There are some insurance providers that are known to be more “surrogacy-friendly” than others, but as always, you should check with your American Surrogacy specialist to review your policy in greater detail.
Some common questions about frequently used providers have included:
“Does Tricare cover surrogacy?”
No. Many of the women who choose to become gestational surrogates are military wives, so they have Tricare insurance. However, this is the one provider we recommend both surrogates and intended parents stay away from, as they’re strict about the exclusion of surrogate pregnancies and won’t offer coverage for either party.
“Will Blue Cross pay for surrogate mother?”
Potentially, yes, Blue Cross Blue Shield will usually pay for the surrogate’s maternity expenses, at least. There are no exclusions for surrogate pregnancies. However, insurance policies are subject to change. As always, check with your surrogacy specialist and your insurance representative for more information about what is covered by your specific policy.
“Does Aetna insurance cover surrogacy?”
Again, it’s important to always check with your surrogacy specialist and your personal insurance representative for more information about what is and is not covered by your individual policy. You’ll usually be at least partially covered for some of your IVF costs, and your surrogate’s maternity costs may be covered if she has Aetna, as there is no surrogate exclusion clause.
“Does Cigna insurance cover surrogacy?”
There are no exclusions for surrogate pregnancies, so if your surrogate has this provider, her maternity costs should be covered. Check with your insurance representative and surrogacy specialist to confirm that this is the case for your specific circumstances.
American Surrogacy Will Make Sure You’re Both as Covered as Possible
As you’ve probably gleaned, surrogacy insurance is complex. You’ll likely need some help from people who deal with it every day, so turn to your American Surrogacy specialist, your attorney and your policy representative to make sure you and your gestational surrogate are getting the maximum coverage possible.
We don’t want you to pay any more out of pocket than you have to for the medical costs of surrogacy, so we’re here to help you review your current policy as well as your surrogate’s, and then work with you both to find any ways to save as much money as possible.
Talking with a financial planner or insurance broker is also a helpful resource for many intended parents. Even with the best insurance for surrogacy, intended parents will need to prepare for high medical costs. In addition to researching surrogacy and insurance, you should be ready to explore options like:
- Loans
- Grants
- Fundraising
- And other ways to set aside money for your surrogacy costs
Surrogacy can be costly, and not all companies provide surrogacy insurance. But, with some help from your American Surrogacy specialist, you can find a financing solution that works for you. Contact us now at 1-800-875-BABY(2229) for more information and to get started.
Remember: You should always reach out your insurance provider to know for sure what your policy will and won’t cover, as this article isn’t intended as advice regarding your personal policy!