IVF is s a costly treatment alternative for those with infertility, and several cannot afford it. A course of treatment apparently averages about $9,500 dollars and this is not counting medication.
It was claimed by a research from Yale school of Medicine that the proportion of invitro fertilization (IVF) multiple birth was apparently lower in the eight states that offer insurance coverage for couples looking for IVF treatment, mainly due to less embryos transferred per cycle. This report was presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, October 17-21.
As of 2006, Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island are the states that consent full insurance coverage for IVF, while another seven states offer infertility coverage, but not for IVF.
By means of a data submitted to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, experts assessed the results on women aged 35 and younger who went through IVF. The outcomes from IVF-insurance-mandated states were weighed against the results from states without such a mandate. Whether insurance coverage impacted the result in IVF was examined byJ. Ryan Martin, M.D., a researcher in Yale’s Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, and Pasquale Patrizio, M.D., director of the Yale Fertility Center.
In states without insurance coverage for IVF, the amount of live births per cycle and multiple births appeared to be considerably more, probably due to the higher quantity of embryos being transferred. Patrizio mentioned that in states without coverage for IVF, the higher rate of multiple births may eventually mean higher expenses for couples, insurance companies, and society at large due to the higher pregnancy rate and birth complications.
Patrizio commented, “These results suggest that when couples bear the expense of IVF, physicians might feel pressure to transfer more embryos. This highlights the delicate balance a physician must strike between obtaining a positive reproductive outcome and avoiding higher order multiple births.”
He further added that these results should encourage insurances to provide IVF coverage because it may lower the rate of multiple births, promotes maternal fetal health and is cost-effective in the long run. The lack of IVF coverage in the majority of states also deprives many infertile couples access to effective treatment.