OOP Med Program Recipient - Success!

Congratulations Carriane (CBubbles2)

CBubbles2 ~ "Thank you so much for running this wonderful program. We got our BFP on our second IVF cycle that two lovely ladies donated meds for. I am currently 19 weeks pregnant with a little boy. We couldn't be happier!"

Family Act of 2011, S 965

• Tax Credit Bill for Infertility Treatments introduced in the U.S. Senate
• A bill to create a tax credit for the out-of-pocket costs associated with infertility medical treatment has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY).  Aptly named the Family Act of 2011, S 965, this bill will potentially help thousands of people seek medical treatment that otherwise would be out of reach for them. 
  Write to your U.S. Senators immediately and ask them to co-sponsor the Family Act of 2011, S 965. 
  Our goal is to get as many Senators as possible to co-sponsor this bill and to seek a hearing on the bill in the appropriate Senate Committees.   Please ask your two U.S. Senators to co-sponsor Family Act of 2011, S 965.  Please urge your family and friends around the country to send a letter as well.  We need thousands of letters flooding the U.S. Senate!
  The full text of the Bill will be posted shortly.
  To read the letter sent by Senator Gillibrand to other members of the U.S. Senate, click here.
  Key provisions of the bill:
  
  • The Family Act covers the out-of-pocket costs associated with in vitro fertilization (IVF) including diagnostic tests, laboratory charges, professional charges, and medications for IVF.
  • The Family Act covers the out-of-pocket costs of fertility preservation procedures if the man or woman is diagnosed with cancer and the cancer treatment or disease itself may result in infertility.
  • The Family Act has a cost sharing provision allowing 50% of all applicable medical expenses to be  covered up to a lifetime maximum of $13,360. You would need to have out-of-pocket costs totaling $26,720 to claim the entire credit in your lifetime.
  • If you do not owe taxes in a particular year, do not owe enough taxes to use the whole credit, or do not reach the max amount in one tax year, it carries over to the next year for a max of five years after the first year you use the credit. 
  • The Family Act is available to couples filing jointly with adjusted gross incomes of less than $222,520, but the credit is smaller for those earning between $182,500 and $222,520. 

What YOU Can Do Today:Our goal is to get as many Senators as possible to co-sponsor this bill and to seek a hearing on the bill in the appropriate Senate Committees.   Please ask your two U.S. Senators to co-sponsor the Family Act of 2011, S 965. Please urge your family and friends around the country to send a letter as well.  We need thousands of letters flooding the U.S. Senate! Updated

A Creative Car Loan For Mindy's IVF

I am super excited.  DH and I had a few options we were looking into for financing IVF.  Unsecured personal loans, credit cards, etc. 

On March 22, 2011 I went into my credit union to inquire about a personal loan.  The loan officer stated that we would not be able to borrow more than $10K (which I was expecting).  She also stated that our minimum interest rate would be around 13.6%.  I was expecting a high interest rate, especially since I was asking about an unsecured loan, but I was not expecting it to be that high.

I told her that 13.6% would not work for us, since we had a credit card with a rate of 12.8%.  When I was about to leave, she started to get creative.  She remembered that our car loans were through them.  She pulled our file, looked up the value of are cars and compared them to what we owed.  Between the two vehicles we had $18K “equity.” 

So we consolidated the two loans and we’re pulling the equity out of our vehicles.  It will be a 4 yr loan, and our total car payments will be less than what we are paying now, with an interest rate of 3.14%.  I didn’t even know you could pull equity out of your vehicles. The best part is this gives us enough to pay for our IVF!  We closed on our loan Monday March 28th.  Hooray! 

Hell Has No Wrath Like a Woman Scorned

Fellow Ladies Battling Infertility
I implore you to contact PETA regarding their Give-A-Way for Infertility Awareness week.
Give 'em hell ladies - it sure is a great way to vent!

757-622-PETA (7382)
http://www.peta.org/features/win-a-vasectomy-from-peta.aspx?CommentModerated=true


From PETA's Website:

"Win a Vasectomy From PETA! It's a two-fer: Get your animal companion fixed, and get yourself fixed too! Human overpopulation is crowding out animal life on the planet, and dog and cat overpopulation is creating a euthanasia crisis that is a crying shame. Disappearing wilderness, vanishing water resources, and pollution is the price that future generations will pay for more human births, while losing their lives is the price that millions of homeless dogs and cats pay when guardians neglect to "fix" their companion animals.Every year in the U.S., an estimated 6 to 8 million lost, abandoned, or unwanted dogs and cats enter animal shelters. The best way to combat the companion-animal overpopulation crisis is to have your cat or dog neutered. And with a global population of almost 7 billion humans, more of our species could use a (voluntary) snip too.Now, one lucky man can be reproduction-free, free of charge, just like his pooch or feline friend. In honor of National Infertility Awareness Week (April 24 to 30), PETA will give one free vasectomy to a man who has recently had his companion cat or dog neutered. Don't worry boys—you'll still be able to enjoy sex. But your neutered dog will be less likely to face the health and behavioral problems that unneutered dogs experience."

IVF Insurance Can Save Government Money

 

Fewer multiple births in states with insurance coverage for infertility

Faced with the prospect of costly in vitro fertilization (IVF) but with no help from insurance coverage, some infertile couples feel pressure to transfer multiple embryos in an attempt to ensure that the IVF is a success. This can lead to higher rates of twin and triplet births and prematurity. But having insurance coverage could curtail the costs associated with these multiple births, according to a new study by researchers at Yale School of Medicine.
Published in the current issue of Fertility and Sterility, the study found that the 15 states, including Connecticut, that provide insurance coverage for infertility saw significantly lower multiple birth rates. The authors say this translates into tremendous savings on the costs of maternal/fetal complications. In 2005, it was estimated that the economic impact of preterm birth was $26.2 billion nationally.
IVF is an effective treatment for the reported 7 million women who are infertile, but it is unaffordable for many infertile couples. Since 1998, more states are providing IVF coverage. Connecticut, for instance, covers up to two IVF cycles under state mandate.
In this study, Yale researchers analyzed assisted reproductive technology cycle data from 2006 provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. They categorized that year's 91,753 fresh, non-donor cycles by age group and by whether the cycles were performed in states with or without a mandate for IVF coverage. States with mandates for insurance coverage of infertility treatment not including IVF were characterized as non-mandated states.
The study showed that pregnancy rates, live birth rates, twin and triplets are higher in states without mandated insurance for IVF because they transfer significantly more embryos than states with coverage for IVF. In contrast, insurance coverage for IVF is associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of multiple pregnancy, particularly among younger women under the age of 35.
When IVF is not covered by insurance, physicians often feel pressure from patients who have financial incentive to maximize the per-cycle success by requesting the transfer of more embryos and willing to take the risk of multiple pregnancies, according to senior author Pasquale Patrizio, M.D., professor and director of the Yale Fertility Center in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine.
"Increasing the number of states that provide coverage for IVF would lead to improved maternal-fetal health and lessen the economic impact that multiple births have on the health system and it would also reduce physician pressure to transfer more embryos," said Patrizio. "It does not make economic sense to see insurance not covering IVF but then pay for the costs associated with maternal and neonatal morbidity."
"By reducing the patient's financial burden, state mandates may lead to a reduction in embryos transferred," said first author J. Ryan Martin, M.D., assistant professor at Yale, who sees patients at Yale Fertility Center's new facility in Westport, Conn. "Patients and insurance companies will both benefit from a reduction in multiple pregnancies."

A light at the end of the tunnel for OOP Maine Ladies?

 

Bill To Mandate Infertility Treatment Coverage Debated

Legislation Would Require Insurance Companies To Cover Infertility Treatments

AUGUSTA, Maine -- Lawmakers in Augusta heard emotional debate on Wednesday that would require insurance companies to pay for infertility treatments.

Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island already require insurance companies to cover the treatments, which can run in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Megan Brooks testified about her struggle over the past four years to get pregnant.

"I feel that infertility treatments should be covered for all people. I don't think motherhood is an option. I think that we should all have the opportunity to be mothers," said Brooks.

Brooks was not the only one struggling to hold back tears during Wednesday's hearing.

"Doctors have suggested to us over the years that we move to other New England states to get coverage, and we continue to stick by the state of Maine and still do," said Mike Staggs of Bar Harbor.

The bill would mandate insurance companies to cover infertility treatments. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Gary Knight, said it would only apply to married couples and people who are infertile from reasons other than sexually transmitted diseases.

Critics said the bill is discriminatory.

"As the legislature moves forward, and considering this legislation, its important for them to eliminate the provisions that discriminate against women who are not married and women and men who have contracted a sexually transmitted disease," said Shenna Bellows of the Maine Civil Liberties Union.

Others who oppose the bill said the coverage mandate will also raise premiums.

"Every mandated benefit has a cost and that has to be born by somebody, and in this state most mandates fall most heavily on the small businesses," said Peter Gore with the Maine State Chamber of Commerce.

Fertility treatments are covered under the health insurance state employees receive, but with some exceptions.

The legislation will go to a work session on April 1.

** To check the status of your States Mandated IF Coverage please see the Insurance Help Tab above**

Infertility Tax Credit

 

** This information was copied from the Resolve.org website **

What is the Infertility Tax Credit Bill?

RESOLVE supports a bill that would create a tax credit for the out-of-pocket costs incurred for the medical treatment of infertility.

Who will this bill help?

While all the details of this bill are not final, RESOLVE feels strongly that when this bill passes it will help thousands of couples defray the cost of medical treatment for infertility.  The financial burden of an infertility diagnosis is significant, and any means to help offset these costs is a positive development for women and men who are faced with infertility medical treatment.

Are there similar tax credits already in place?

For many years families have been created with the help of the Adoption Tax Credit, and we hope this new tax credit will achieve the same level of success for those trying to cover the costs of medical treatments.  Read more. 

Has a tax credit bill been introduced?

As of March 22, 2011 a bill has not been introduced in the House or Senate.  RESOLVE is working closely with legislators in both the House and Senate on draft bill language. We anticipate that the bill will be introduced soon.
RESOLVE is thrilled to be working alongside legislators and others in the infertility community who have already expressed very positive support for a tax credit bill.

What happens once the bill is introduced?

Once the bill is introduced, it’s up to YOU to talk to your elected officials in the House and the Senate and ask for their support of this bill. RESOLVE will lead this effort and provide everyone with information on how to ask for support.

How can you help get the Infertility Tax Credit passed?

Right now participating in RESOLVE’s Advocacy Day is the event that will be key to getting this bill introduced, co-sponsored, and passed. Learn how to be part of RESOLVE’s Advocacy Day. 
Your elected officials need to hear from you about why this tax credit is so important to those diagnosed with infertility.  It is your right as a citizen to talk to your lawmakers who will be voting on whether or not this bill passes.  If they do not hear from you they will not realize the positive impact it will have on so many women and men trying to build their family. Also, pass this information on to your doctor, friends and family and ask them to support our efforts. 

Need a refresher course on how a bill becomes a law?

TheCapitol.net has some very easy-to-follow information about how a bill becomes a law.