Shopping Around
One thing that many fertility patients are doing is being better consumers. You may be surprised to learn that not every doctor or clinic charges the same price for everything. Know up front what each cycle will cost and what that cost specifically includes. This means knowing what extra costs might creep up on you.
For Fertility ClinicsPrice other local fertility centers, not just the first one you go to. You might find that what you thought was a great deal really is not when you look at all the potential “extras” you may have to pay for. The middle of your cycle is not the time to find out that you need more tests or more medications or an additional medication. While these things can legitimately crop up unexpectedly, there should be very few surprises like this in the course of your treatment. You have a right to know about all of the potential medical and monetary expenses that may come your way.
One way to find the best bargain is the old-fashioned way — shop around. You may find that one fertility clinic offers you more in a cycle package than another does. Or you may find that overall costs are lower at a certain facility. Even better is when you find out that your insurance will cover some or all of your treatments or procedures if done at a certain location. Your fertility treatments cost too much financially and emotionally to leave any stone unturned.
For MedicationsAnother way you may try to save money is on medications. You may try to skimp on your dosages. This is a bad idea. Each dose is specifically designed for you and is calculated to your body's response. But there are other ways to save money on purchasing medications.
You may be tempted to buy medication online or at a store other than a pharmacy that deals consumer to consumer. This may result in significant savings, but it comes at a greatly increased risk. Before you undertake such a deal, be sure you have adequate safeguards in place to protect your interests financially, physically, and legally. Also bear in mind that medications have expiration dates. While they may not be harmful after the expiration date, they also may not work as well. You may find that you are left without medications or money or even worse that you are now ill from the medications that you purchased.
You may find your medications are less expensive if purchased from a different pharmacy, such as your local pharmacy. But there are also a multitude of pharmacies that do mail order or online ordering. These may be a better bargain for your buck.
You may find that some fertility patients have medications left over from previous successful or unsuccessful cycles and are willing to sell these medications to you at a greatly reduced price. Your fertility clinic may even take part in this exchange of unused medications. Ask the program coordinator at your fertility clinic if she is aware of any such program locally.
