A neighbor, a friend, a couple down the street will discover this week that they are infertile and that if they want biological children of their own, they are going to need in vitro fertilization (IVF). According to treatment protocol, the woman will need to take powerful medicines to ramp up her production of fertilizable eggs. One monthly cycle of this treatment will run around $12,000. But most couples require more than one cycle to achieve their goal of carrying a child to term. In other words, this couple could easily be looking at a bill exceeding $30,000 or $40,000.
And did I mention that this money could all come out of their own pockets? Because not all insurance companies pay for in vitro fertilization.
No worry though. Their infertility physician informs them about a company he has worked with that specializes in infertility loans. He even offers to have his office staff help the couple fill out the necessary paperwork. Thanks to this assistance, the couple secures the loan and, with luck, will soon be rewarded with a healthy baby.
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| Infertility Doctors |
Free market medicine at its finest, yes? A couple with “skin in the game” learns about their health costs in advance. They are given accurate data about the likelihood that any given cycle of treatment will work. They even work with a loan agency specifically geared to meet their financial needs.
Would it bother you if you learned that the infertility doctor received a referral fee from the loan agency? Would you be upset to learn that this couple was charged an annual interest rate of 22%?
My book, Five Strands of Hope, is available here on Amazon. It is a memoir about my journey through secondary infertility through a horrendous triplet pregnancy.
