The importance we place on health insurance doubles when preparing for the birth of a child. It’s an exciting time, one that shouldn’t be weighed down by the stress of worrying over health coverage. However, with surrogate pregnancies, many questions arise in regards to this topic; first and foremost, will insurance cover the surrogate’s pregnancy?

Unfortunately, there is no cut and dry answer to this question.  In many cases, the intended parents will pay cash for all services provided at the infertility clinic.  Many times the surrogate’s insurance policy can be used after she starts seeing her OB around 8-10 weeks gestation, but that is all dependent on the wording in the surrogate’s health insurance plan.

While this is common, it is also a best-case scenario and should not be viewed as a general rule. Many health insurance policies specifically exclude maternity coverage for surrogates, and some reserve the right to seek reimbursement from the intended parents for any maternity benefits paid on the surrogate’s behalf.

All insurance companies and policies vary – so what do you do if the insurance carrier refuses to cover surrogacy? In this case, persistence is key. This means many phone calls, long conversations, and asking the right questions with the exact wording to get what you are looking for. Although gestational surrogacy has grown in popularity, it is still a tricky subject that not everyone is well-versed in. Oftentimes, even insurance companies won’t know off-hand exactly what will and won’t be covered without doing some digging.

At least 14 states currently require certain types of health insurance plans to include coverage of specific infertility services. However, many of these have very explicit stipulations. Generally, unless the policy has a definite exclusion for surrogacy, the pregnancy and delivery will be covered as any other pregnancy and delivery. Be open and honest with your insurance carrier; if they won’t cover surrogacy, they won’t cover surrogacy. However, make sure you have the facts word for word as they are laid out in the policy and be sure to have everything in writing – especially if they say they will cover surrogacy!

Because it is such a complicated process, it is vital to work with the right agency to assist you with understanding your responsibilities and insurance questions. If you need help determining what questions to ask your insurance provider or want to explore gestational surrogacy, please contact Surrogate Solutions today.