You can’t put a price or a value on having both your fallopian tubes intact. In fact I imagine that anyone who has lost one or two of their fallopian tubes wouldn’t be able to put a price on how much they are willing to pay to have them whole and functioning again. Without a doubt. And so when the doctor told me that there is a risk that I had an ectopic pregnancy and a fallopian tube could rupture at any point, you simply don’t think about the $$$ money.;
After I found out that my pregnancy was non-viable, the whole process of determining whether or not I had an ectopic pregnancy was absolutely soul destroying and mentally exhausting. I tried to research what the likelihood was of having an ectopic pregnancy was with IVF. I tracked my hCG levels to try and determine what my odds were. I even joined several online groups to talk to other women who had experienced what I was going through. (I have probably mentioned this before, I dislike online forums because you get exposed to some real stupid, dumb, insensitive and simply irritating people. And you just can’t get rid of them.) All of this led me to some tiny hope that I was going to be one of those women who was going to beat the odds and carry a pregnancy despite the slow doubling hCG levels.
The doctors cared a lot about my wellbeing and were concerned of an ectopic. I mostly followed their recommendations: We both dropped everything to come in to the clinic for blood tests, consults and ultrasounds. What they didn’t tell us was how much it is all going to cost. Like I said, when there is a risk of losing a body part or even worse, your life, the money doesn’t matter. And now I can finally say how much it all cost.
I am not complaining about the cost because we are lucky, we have amazing insurance and we can afford to pay the bills. What I would like to know is what about those people whose insurance wouldn’t cover the costs? It’s just another slap in the face if you have saved up or taken on debt to pay for IVF. Of course, most insurance companies cover the cost for maternity healthcare, but the treatment of an ectopic or any other type of pregnancy loss doesn’t come for free. Remember I told you about the woman who couldn’t afford to have an ‘abortion’ to end her life threatening pregnancy at her hospital because of a CRAPPY law? (You can read about it here).
When you save up and take on debt for IVF, no one tells you to save a little bit extra in case things go slightly wrong. I have discovered, however, that most hospitals and healthcare providers will negotiate the costs if you can’t afford this type of care. There are also some charities out there that can help. I also believe that friends and family will be there too to help out. We have helped out some friends in the past when they got caught out with unexpected medical bills. It’s not only a difficult emotionally, it can quite quickly become difficult financially.
So how much did it cost? Luckily for us, not much. The total cost was $3,107 of which our insurance covered most of it, and so cost us $140. I have updated my ‘Cost Lowdown’ page with the breakdown of where the biggest costs lie here. But this has made me think about putting aside more savings specifically for unexpected healthcare costs.
My appreciation for the UK National Health Service has simply sky rocketed.
The Great Pudding Club Hunt 
I am always blown away by the cost of basic medical care in the US. I know our Canadian system isn’t perfect but I sure am thankful for it!!!
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Yep, healthcare in the US truly sucks! Obama did his best, but the pharmaceutical companies are a bunch of asses. 😉
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My hubby helps implement medicare and medicaid – he tells me all about it, I love how passionate he is about it 🙂
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Crazy. I feel like that adds insult to injury. One of the worst things was when my NHS exemption card came through after we found out I was going to have a miscarriage. They ask you to send it back! But not as bad as actually having to pay for the “privilege”.
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Ouch, that is just awful 😦 it’s just seen as a process, I guess humanising it would probably incur some costs ($$), so that’s unlikely to change any time soon.im so sorry 😦
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Honestly it’s nothing compared to what you have gone through! It’s just nuts that you have to pay to suffer through that. 😦
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That is such a huge bill to get slugged with after a terrible experience. I often wonder how people on smaller incomes manage the costs of fertility treatment too. Its sad to think people might not get to do it or be limited because of crappy healthcare. I really hope your Fallopian tubes are all okay, and you might have already explained this, but were you having a test to check everything’s fine?
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Exactly, I feel fortunate and I know there are so many more who are unfortunate financially.
My tubes are clear according to my HSG!! (Party dance!!) we are good to move onto round two of IVF/ICSI 🙂
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Oh great news!! 🙂
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I know all too well what getting slapped with a bill is like after a horrible experience, but this whole situation really just sucks. I am so sorry that you have become so familiar with our healthcare during your time in the States. 😞
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There are so many pros and cons about the US healthcare system, but the big con with the money side is definitely the worst. The irony being that I am staying in the US to mostly keep going with the treatment is an indicator that overall it’s not so bad :-s
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