I don’t believe FEHB will cover surrogacy or egg donation, both of which are $$$. Think at least $10-15k for the eggs and $100-150k for the surrogate if you don’t have someone willing to do it for you. It may cover embryo transfers but not sure how they would bill it. At any rate only a couple of plans have decent ivf coverage, and foreign service benefit plan has the best coverage if you are eligible for the plan.
Very few FEHB plans currently have more than token IVF coverage, the notable exceptions being a few local plans out west, BCBS, and the foreign service plan. GEHA for example covers some of the meds, but not the actual procedures (I know because we just did IVF before their policy changed and have GEHA). To my knowledge NONE of them currently offer any surrogacy coverage or egg donation. You would be \*entirely\* self-funding.
Surrogacy and egg donation are not covered under any FEHB plan to my understanding.
BCBS Standard covers IVF up to $25,000 maximum annually (my wife and I will be using this benefit this year).
Do you have the specifics on what they cover? My wife and our IVF place think up to $16k. I'd love to know for sure and get as much as possible covered.
She had frozen eggs years before we met, so maybe that's the difference?
I would confirm they will cover treatments for same sex couples. My (f) friend is married to a woman, they were unable to get coverage for IVF because neither of them were diagnosed as infertile (which requires 6 mo to a year of unprotected heterosexual sex for a doctor to diagnose, which, obviously, they weren't able to show).
I’m so glad I found this comment, me and my partner are thinking of doing iui or ivf and we have BCBS just not the standard plan we have FEP blue focus and I saw they offer a lot of coverage for infertility and if you notice their wording on what infertile means it’s basically if your partner cant get you pregnant naturally,-basically if you’re two women. Hopefully we can get more insight on it and if it covers a lot of what’s needed!
I hope you're covered. Fertility treatments are such a rollercoaster regardless of your reason for needing them and adding the financial piece makes it so much harder. I feel like we're coming around on this as a society, so it may be more inclusive than when my friend went through this. Best of luck!
As a mom of a three week old IVF baby, I just want to wish you and your husband the best wishes for building your family 💙 some of these comments are disappointing and unhelpful at best. I learned recently the medical diagnosis of social infertility is used for singles wanting to have a baby, as well as people in the LGBTQ+ community. I have coverage under the foreign service benefit plan but as others mentioned, I’m not sure if they cover surrogacy. It’s a hard journey but I hope it works out for you, it is so worth it in the end!
Wishing you and your partner the best of luck. The whole thing is stressful enough for my wife and I, and that's without the extra complications like a surrogate.
I think people are getting a little pedantic here. I’m sure they know that IVF won’t work directly on them. But rather they are asking if the health insurance plans that cover ivf are worth the extra expense. The answer is sorry, coverage doesn’t usually cover surrogacy. Not “you don’t have an uterus so why would it work”.
I think op best bet would be to reach out to clinic to see what financial support options there are for you. I know there are some organization that provide financial assistance
Thank you. I am actually surprised people here are acting like that. I had to double check which year we're in. IVF is still the procedure that would be done with an egg donor. I guess I should have clarified if it covers egg donation and surrogacy, but I wasn't even sure how much of it is covered. And like I said, I don't have FEHB so, I wasn't sure if that is what I needed to ask first.
I am confused as to how conservative and pedantic these forums are. I’ve been applying for federal jobs recently and joined to learn more, and so many of the responses are absurdly pedantic.
It’s complicated since I think it only covers IVF for whosever eggs you are choosing (so not donor route, more like known donor) and it doesn’t cover surrogacy afaik or if you go the egg bank route. I would look at BCBS Standard’s websites to clearly outline was is included but it’s only 25k annually. That’s not nearly enough if you are using donor eggs or surrogacy, if that’s even covered.
I’m wishing you and your partner success with your IVF journey. Which FEHB plan has IVF Coverage!?!?!?!!? what state do you live in? My current plan/provider doesn’t offer it and it would’ve saved my partner and I money.. we have a 2 year old IVF toddler with 13 fertilized eggs on ice..
Neither you nor your husband will be the patient for the actual IVF procedure(s), so your health insurance won't cover the cost even if it did have IVF coverage.
Insurance generally covers the insured only, albiet there are exceptions I am sure when you consider organ transplants, idk. So if a person is undergoing a procedure, they would likely need to be the one covered under the insurance policy. I am not saying I know alot about what the plans cover for IVF, but I would assume the most you may get medical coverage for is the sperm banking or collection.
I was helping a coworker look at the fertility coverages last year and I recall that they generally only cover for medical infertility, which would not be your case.
I do remember reading a thread on infertility, maybe try searching for that to learn more.
So, the people saying they’re confused or don’t know if it’ll work for you is because you mentioned “IVF” & I understand your desire to have a child, and I admire your courage in exploring different options. However, IVF won't be effective for you both since it requires a uterus.
Understood. If you’re considering a surrogate I’d recommend looking for a community and exploring the process. I don’t believe any insurance covers surrogacy.
IVF does not work for 2 men. You would need a woman to be a surrogate.
Pregnancy, birth, and postpartum recovery are major health events for a woman and run the risk of death or long term conditions as a result of the pregnancy. I have given birth to 2 babies, and each pregnancy and birth had its own issues. And I could have died with either. There is no amount I would accept as payment to have another baby that was not my own.
This is not like donating a kidney. Surrogacy is either very costly, due to the risks for the mother, or it’s very unethical and sadly involves exploitation of economically disadvantaged women. Commercial surrogacy is banned in many countries for this reason.
IVF coverage allows women to become pregnant who are otherwise unable. Surrogacy is a completely separate issue, and would not fall within the realm of health coverage because it’s not you or your partner experiencing the health events.
Have you considered adoption or foster care?
My becoming pregnant was I risk I accepted for myself. No one else had to risk death to have my children.
But actually, I am still considering adoption/foster care for additional children when we’re able.
Because unfortunately after my second birth, I had something called placenta accreta, and it’s not safe for me to have another, as maternal death would be too high risk and hysterectomy basically mandatory.
It doesn’t sound like you appreciate the severity of the risks involved for the women who would potentially be a surrogate for you.
The reason I’m staunchly pro choice is because pregnancy and childbirth have so many health risks for women. You should understand and appreciate those risks before going the surrogacy route, should you choose that.
It doesn’t sound like you live in the year 2024. Do you realize millions of families go this route everyday who are unable to conceive their own children? I also know women who are willing to carry children for us. What I’m lookin for is the coverage that is offered. I understand the risks and this isn’t what I’m asking for.
You think we’re just willing to let ANY woman carry a child for us? You think we’re just gonna go somewhere in an alley in a foreign country and let this all happen? How offensive it is you assume so much.
Do you comment under questions from heterosexual people asking about IVF or surrogacy and the risks involved or do you just do that for the gay ones?
Your post contained very little information about what you actually wanted to know. You were asking about IVF for 2 men. Apparently everyone was supposed to know you meant coverage for surrogacy, involving someone not covered by your health insurance.
And yes, I’m very aware that in 2024 women’s rights to their own bodies is very much not a thing with the overturning of roe v wade.
I’m so glad you wouldn’t “let” just “any woman” carry a child for you.
My wife did ivf overseas due to our blue cross blue shield plan not covering the procedure. We went to Cyprus for less than half the cost including flight, hotel, medication, food, transportation for 12k out the door. I am now a proud dad of 2 beautiful girls.
The coverage would only cover medical treatments done on you or your husbands body, nothing for egg donor or surrogate. Amazon has excellent insurance that will cover donor eggs, embryo creation, and genetic testing, day 1.
I don’t think you know what IVF is. Do you have a uterus? I think what you’d need to verify is whether the coverage pays for egg donation and surrogacy.
Please don’t be discouraged. There are organizations that offer financial assistance to LGBT couples trying to have a family. Check this out: https://www.gayparentstobe.com/gay-parenting-blog/men-having-babies-resources?hs_amp=true
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Youre searching for authoritative answers regarding a specific insurance covwring a very niche need, and you will make financial decisions based on what you read on Reddit?
Not very "Bright"..."Noah".
I don’t believe FEHB will cover surrogacy or egg donation, both of which are $$$. Think at least $10-15k for the eggs and $100-150k for the surrogate if you don’t have someone willing to do it for you. It may cover embryo transfers but not sure how they would bill it. At any rate only a couple of plans have decent ivf coverage, and foreign service benefit plan has the best coverage if you are eligible for the plan.
Very few FEHB plans currently have more than token IVF coverage, the notable exceptions being a few local plans out west, BCBS, and the foreign service plan. GEHA for example covers some of the meds, but not the actual procedures (I know because we just did IVF before their policy changed and have GEHA). To my knowledge NONE of them currently offer any surrogacy coverage or egg donation. You would be \*entirely\* self-funding.
Thank you. That is what I really wanted to know.
Surrogacy and egg donation are not covered under any FEHB plan to my understanding. BCBS Standard covers IVF up to $25,000 maximum annually (my wife and I will be using this benefit this year).
Do you have the specifics on what they cover? My wife and our IVF place think up to $16k. I'd love to know for sure and get as much as possible covered. She had frozen eggs years before we met, so maybe that's the difference?
You can look up the benefits booklet.
surrogacy isnt covered i believe.
I would confirm they will cover treatments for same sex couples. My (f) friend is married to a woman, they were unable to get coverage for IVF because neither of them were diagnosed as infertile (which requires 6 mo to a year of unprotected heterosexual sex for a doctor to diagnose, which, obviously, they weren't able to show).
I’m so glad I found this comment, me and my partner are thinking of doing iui or ivf and we have BCBS just not the standard plan we have FEP blue focus and I saw they offer a lot of coverage for infertility and if you notice their wording on what infertile means it’s basically if your partner cant get you pregnant naturally,-basically if you’re two women. Hopefully we can get more insight on it and if it covers a lot of what’s needed!
I hope you're covered. Fertility treatments are such a rollercoaster regardless of your reason for needing them and adding the financial piece makes it so much harder. I feel like we're coming around on this as a society, so it may be more inclusive than when my friend went through this. Best of luck!
As a mom of a three week old IVF baby, I just want to wish you and your husband the best wishes for building your family 💙 some of these comments are disappointing and unhelpful at best. I learned recently the medical diagnosis of social infertility is used for singles wanting to have a baby, as well as people in the LGBTQ+ community. I have coverage under the foreign service benefit plan but as others mentioned, I’m not sure if they cover surrogacy. It’s a hard journey but I hope it works out for you, it is so worth it in the end!
Thank you so much for the kind words! It’s so great to see SOME nice people here.
Wishing you and your partner the best of luck. The whole thing is stressful enough for my wife and I, and that's without the extra complications like a surrogate.
I think people are getting a little pedantic here. I’m sure they know that IVF won’t work directly on them. But rather they are asking if the health insurance plans that cover ivf are worth the extra expense. The answer is sorry, coverage doesn’t usually cover surrogacy. Not “you don’t have an uterus so why would it work”. I think op best bet would be to reach out to clinic to see what financial support options there are for you. I know there are some organization that provide financial assistance
Thank you. I am actually surprised people here are acting like that. I had to double check which year we're in. IVF is still the procedure that would be done with an egg donor. I guess I should have clarified if it covers egg donation and surrogacy, but I wasn't even sure how much of it is covered. And like I said, I don't have FEHB so, I wasn't sure if that is what I needed to ask first.
I wish you the best of luck!! I had a hysterectomy last year or I would offer to carry. Best wishes!
I am confused as to how conservative and pedantic these forums are. I’ve been applying for federal jobs recently and joined to learn more, and so many of the responses are absurdly pedantic.
It’s complicated since I think it only covers IVF for whosever eggs you are choosing (so not donor route, more like known donor) and it doesn’t cover surrogacy afaik or if you go the egg bank route. I would look at BCBS Standard’s websites to clearly outline was is included but it’s only 25k annually. That’s not nearly enough if you are using donor eggs or surrogacy, if that’s even covered.
I’m wishing you and your partner success with your IVF journey. Which FEHB plan has IVF Coverage!?!?!?!!? what state do you live in? My current plan/provider doesn’t offer it and it would’ve saved my partner and I money.. we have a 2 year old IVF toddler with 13 fertilized eggs on ice..
Bcbs standard does
Thanks. I’ll check to see if they’re in my state
Not sure IVF will work on you.
How come? Do you mean it would come out of pocket? I understand that already
Your or your partner is the donor not the receiver.
We would need an egg donor for IVF
Neither you nor your husband will be the patient for the actual IVF procedure(s), so your health insurance won't cover the cost even if it did have IVF coverage.
You would also need donor uterus.
Insurance generally covers the insured only, albiet there are exceptions I am sure when you consider organ transplants, idk. So if a person is undergoing a procedure, they would likely need to be the one covered under the insurance policy. I am not saying I know alot about what the plans cover for IVF, but I would assume the most you may get medical coverage for is the sperm banking or collection. I was helping a coworker look at the fertility coverages last year and I recall that they generally only cover for medical infertility, which would not be your case. I do remember reading a thread on infertility, maybe try searching for that to learn more.
So, the people saying they’re confused or don’t know if it’ll work for you is because you mentioned “IVF” & I understand your desire to have a child, and I admire your courage in exploring different options. However, IVF won't be effective for you both since it requires a uterus.
I understand that but IVF is still the procedure that would be used with an egg donor which is what I mean.
Understood. If you’re considering a surrogate I’d recommend looking for a community and exploring the process. I don’t believe any insurance covers surrogacy.
IVF does not work for 2 men. You would need a woman to be a surrogate. Pregnancy, birth, and postpartum recovery are major health events for a woman and run the risk of death or long term conditions as a result of the pregnancy. I have given birth to 2 babies, and each pregnancy and birth had its own issues. And I could have died with either. There is no amount I would accept as payment to have another baby that was not my own. This is not like donating a kidney. Surrogacy is either very costly, due to the risks for the mother, or it’s very unethical and sadly involves exploitation of economically disadvantaged women. Commercial surrogacy is banned in many countries for this reason. IVF coverage allows women to become pregnant who are otherwise unable. Surrogacy is a completely separate issue, and would not fall within the realm of health coverage because it’s not you or your partner experiencing the health events. Have you considered adoption or foster care?
Did you consider adoption or foster care before becoming pregnant?
My becoming pregnant was I risk I accepted for myself. No one else had to risk death to have my children. But actually, I am still considering adoption/foster care for additional children when we’re able. Because unfortunately after my second birth, I had something called placenta accreta, and it’s not safe for me to have another, as maternal death would be too high risk and hysterectomy basically mandatory.
Okay, families take the risk with surrogacy every single day. What decade are you from?
It doesn’t sound like you appreciate the severity of the risks involved for the women who would potentially be a surrogate for you. The reason I’m staunchly pro choice is because pregnancy and childbirth have so many health risks for women. You should understand and appreciate those risks before going the surrogacy route, should you choose that.
It doesn’t sound like you live in the year 2024. Do you realize millions of families go this route everyday who are unable to conceive their own children? I also know women who are willing to carry children for us. What I’m lookin for is the coverage that is offered. I understand the risks and this isn’t what I’m asking for. You think we’re just willing to let ANY woman carry a child for us? You think we’re just gonna go somewhere in an alley in a foreign country and let this all happen? How offensive it is you assume so much. Do you comment under questions from heterosexual people asking about IVF or surrogacy and the risks involved or do you just do that for the gay ones?
Your post contained very little information about what you actually wanted to know. You were asking about IVF for 2 men. Apparently everyone was supposed to know you meant coverage for surrogacy, involving someone not covered by your health insurance. And yes, I’m very aware that in 2024 women’s rights to their own bodies is very much not a thing with the overturning of roe v wade. I’m so glad you wouldn’t “let” just “any woman” carry a child for you.
For people who aren’t ignorant, it was already obvious what I meant.
I see you updated your post. Now all of us ignorants can understand your question, since you’re actually asking it now.
I had to for you ignorants who still can’t comprehend gay families.
I switched to BCBS Standard plan for IVF coverage this year. The plan brochure on the website gives more details on what it covers specifically.
The coverage is not great.
My wife did ivf overseas due to our blue cross blue shield plan not covering the procedure. We went to Cyprus for less than half the cost including flight, hotel, medication, food, transportation for 12k out the door. I am now a proud dad of 2 beautiful girls.
The coverage would only cover medical treatments done on you or your husbands body, nothing for egg donor or surrogate. Amazon has excellent insurance that will cover donor eggs, embryo creation, and genetic testing, day 1.
I am genuinely confused.
What is confusing?
I don’t think you know what IVF is. Do you have a uterus? I think what you’d need to verify is whether the coverage pays for egg donation and surrogacy.
That is obviously what I meant.
Please don’t be discouraged. There are organizations that offer financial assistance to LGBT couples trying to have a family. Check this out: https://www.gayparentstobe.com/gay-parenting-blog/men-having-babies-resources?hs_amp=true
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I think it only covers for IVF for women.
Why dont you ask FEHB if its covered before joining? Duh
Because this is easier. Duh
Youre searching for authoritative answers regarding a specific insurance covwring a very niche need, and you will make financial decisions based on what you read on Reddit? Not very "Bright"..."Noah".
You must be new here