My sweet husband is so supportive that he tells me the truth in order to save me from myself. Last night, he said, “You know, MK, your blogs are pretty long.”
Point taken… I’ll do my best to be more concise from now on.
This morning four of my IVF meds arrived in their refrigerated boxes. I now have to clean out a big part of my refrigerator to house them for the next three weeks.
For my May/June cycle, the IVF nurse faxed my prescriptions directly to Medco, the prescription company tied to our medical insurer, and I simply started receiving boxes. Each included an invoice that specified the amount that we were required to pay, and I was so relieved to see how amazing our infertility benefits are, because these medications are expensive.
For this cycle, I ordered my refills on Medco’s website, and, in this instance, the invoice outlines the amount the plan pays for each medication, plus the amount we pay.
This is where you need to sit down…
I need three Gonal-f® RFF 900IU pens, which, according to the Patient Information Leaflet, are “a prescription injectable medicine provided in a device that contains the hormone Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH). FSH helps healthy ovaries to make eggs in women.” And, Gonal-f is used “in women who are in an Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) program, such as in vitro fertilization, to help their ovaries make more eggs.” Our plan pays $3,553.11, and we pay $16.66.
I need 24 75 IU vials of Menopur®, which is described by its accompanying information as “a preparation of gonadotropins, extracted from the urine of postmenopausal women, which has undergone additional purification.” It “produces ovarian follicular growth and maturation in women who do not have primary ovarian failure.” For 24 vials, our plan pays $1,809.55, and we pay $29.16. The plan throws in the required needles, tips, alcohol swabs, and medical-waste container for free.
I need five .25MG kits of Cetrotide® because “during hormone treatment for ovarian stimulation, premature ovulation may lead to eggs that are not suitable for fertilization,” and Centrotide “blocks such undesirable premature ovulation.” Our plan pays $556.05, and we pay $16.66.
I need one 250MGC syringe pre-filled with Ovidrel®, for which “the production process involves expansion of genetically modified Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells from an extensively characterized cell bank into large scale cell culture processing.” Ovridel PreFilled Syringe is “administered when monitoring of the patient indicates that sufficient follicular development has occurred in response to FSH treatment for ovulation induction.” Our plan pays $61.44, and we pay $16.66.
And, these are not all of the required medications. In order to control my cycle for IVF, I’ve been on the birth-control pill for the past month. Because each packet only contains 21 active pills, I needed two, with each costing $49.95, with no plan coverage.
We have no plan coverage for prenatal vitamins, which I take daily at a cost of $43.27 a month.
After my egg retrieval procedure, I need to take the steriod Medrol for five days to prevent inflammation, and its cost is $13.24, with no plan coverage.
To ensure that I don’t get a post-retrieval infection, I also have to take the antibiotic Doxycyline twice a day for five days, at a cost of $2.38, with no plan coverage.
And, last and grossest is the required three months of three-time-a-day vaginal Endometrin® suppositories. Endometrin is progesterone, and it “causes changes in the lining of your uterus, making it easier for a fertilized egg to attach to the uterus at the beginning of a pregnancy. Progesterone then helps your body maintain the pregnancy.” Our plan pays $1,295.74, and we pay $89.88.
To recap, someone without infertility insurance would have to pay the following, per cycle:
Gonal-f: $3,553.11 + 16.66 = $3,569.77
Menopur: $1,809.55 + $29.16 = $1,838.71
Cetrotide: $556.05 + $16.66 = $572.71
Ovidrel: $61.44 + $16.66 = $78.11
Birth-control pill: $49.95 x 2 = $99.90
Prenatal vitamin: $43.27 a month for a minimum of 10 months, if you get pregnant right away and stay on it during your pregnancy, as recommended = $432.70
Medrol: $13.24
Doxycline: $2.38
Endometrin: $1,295.74 + $89.88 = $1,385.62
TOTAL =$7,993.14!!!!!
This entry is getting long already, so I’ll write more on this topic tomorrow. In the meantime, if you want information about which U.S. states do and don’t have infertility coverage, including what you can do to lobby yours, check out the website of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association at www.resolve.org.