Navigating the financial side of fertility medications

Trying to map out the expected costs of your fertility medications can seem daunting. The good news? There are resources available to support your journey. Here’s what you need to know to better understand what savings opportunities may be available.

Understanding medication pricing

Just like your grocery store, fertility pharmacies offer their best prices to get you shopping with them. But, while many fertility pharmacies post their prices on their website, this isn’t always an accurate reflection of what you will ultimately pay. These universal price lists don’t take into account manufacturer or physician discounts, or whether a patient is self-paying or going through their insurance provider.

So it helps to shop around to make sure you’ve researched all of your options, especially if you’re a self-pay patient and aren’t required to use an in-network pharmacy. Just be sure your medication estimate is personalized and based on your individual needs.

Questions to ask:

• Do they offer generic alternatives?

• Will they match a lower price of another pharmacy?

• What type of manufacturer coupons or rebates are available?

• Does your health care provider offer additional discounts?

It’s also important to consider what other benefits a fertility pharmacy has to offer. Do they have a phone support team available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to answer questions on medications, side effects and more? Do they provide training or other types of instructional support for fertility injections?

Managing the costs over time

There’s no sugarcoating it: Fertility treatment isn’t cheap. But, there are resources available to help people manage the costs for short or longer-term treatments.

Loans

Many fertility pharmacies partner with lending institutions to help patients finance their fertility treatments with low monthly payments and competitive interest rates. You can apply for loans to cover medications, genetic testing, egg-freezing services and more. Just be sure to request enough money to cover your entire expected treatment.

Questions to ask a lender:

• How long does it take to get approved?

• What are the loan interest rates?

• Is a down payment required?

• How long do I have to pay off the loan?

• Is there a prepayment penalty?

Financial assistance

There are programs available that provide financial assistance based on income, place of residence, U.S. military service and even based on whether you’re a cancer patient or survivor.

Where to find assistance:

• Learn more about the resources listed on our website to connect to fertility treatment grants and scholarships

• Ask your fertility provider or clinic if they’re aware of local programs or foundations that support people living in your community. For example, The Samantha and Kyle Busch Bundle of Joy Fund provides funds to assist with in-vitro fertilization treatment through the REACH Clinic of Charlotte, North Carolina.

• Visit drug manufacturer websites to see if they offer financial assistance for individuals in need. For example, the Compassionate Care Program provides savings for eligible patients based on income or U.S. military service for EMD Serono’s fertility medications. Also, the GO Direct Rebate program offers eligible self-pay patients a rebate discount off their out-of-pocket costs for specific EMD Serono products.

  • Learn how the Compassionate Care Program works.

  • Read the Compassionate Care Program FAQ.

• Explore financial support options available for specific medical conditions. Learn more about how the LIVESTRONG Fertility program helps cancer patients and survivors better understand their fertility risks and options and get access to fertility preservation discounts.

Working with your insurance

Health insurance plans provide a wide range of coverage for fertility treatments—some provide a little, some provide a lot and some provide none at all. This can be frustrating to try to understand.

That’s why you’ll want to select a fertility pharmacy who has the right amount of expertise, patience and passion to manage the insurance process for you. Be sure your pharmacy will find out what’s covered and how much you should expect to pay for your fertility medications before you begin treatment. And make sure the pharmacy specializes in requesting and obtaining any prior authorizations and resolving any issues related to a refusal for coverage.

Learn more about what type of pricing, financing and insurance support we provide at Encompass Fertility.

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