IOWArranty

About IOWArranty

Unfortunately many couples lack insurance coverage for IVF services. Too often patients must choose between attempting IVF or having money to pursue adoption. Now a program is available to assist patients without adequate IVF insurance. A "risk sharing" (sometimes referred to as a warranty) program for IVF limits the financial risk of pursuing IVF treatment. It is a "warranty" against not getting pregnant, not a guarantee of pregnancy and delivery.

If you are not successful*, a significant portion of your money is refunded. Since pregnancy rates from IVF are age related, the amount refunded is related to the "risks" of not becoming pregnant. As you age, you assume a greater "risk" of treatment failure and less money is refunded. Younger patients, with a higher pregnancy rate and less risk of treatment failure receive a higher refund if they are not pregnant after IVF. A risk sharing is not a "guarantee" of pregnancy. It represents a "risk sharing" that should you not become pregnant, you will receive a portion of your money back. The amount refunded is dependent upon your age. We "assume risk" (the refundable portion) and you "limit your risk" in the absence of pregnancy (the nonrefundable portion). We can offer this based upon our track record of success by assuming the risk that our rates will be stable within age groups. The total fee you pay into a risk sharing program is higher than a single traditional "fee for service" cycle. If you get pregnant, you have paid more. However, if you are not pregnant (beyond 10 weeks post retrieval), you receive a significant amount of money back.

If you meet criteria to join the risk sharing program, you are considered a good candidate for a pregnancy in your age group. Not all patients qualify for a risk sharing program. After your initial consultation, and prior to acceptance into the risk sharing program, you are required to undergo testing of "ovarian reserve". While we do not require normal ovarian reserve to participate in traditional "fee for service" IVF, normal tests of ovarian reserve are required to participate in the shared program. We do not "assume the risk" for your abnormal results. In a traditional fee for service cycle, couples may opt to limit the number of eggs (oocytes) fertilized or not pursue cryopreservation. However, as risk sharing participants, you must agree to the fertilization of all available mature oocytes (eggs), and culturing (incubating) more embryos than transferred to allow the selection of the best possible embryos for transfer. You must agree to the freezing (cryopreservation) of residual embryos. These practices provide the best chance of success while limiting the number of embryos transferred and the risk of high order multiple pregnancies. We utilize the same recommendations for numbers of embryos to transfer whether or not you participate in the risk sharing program. We do not want you to assume any higher risk of multiple pregnancies to lessen our risk of no pregnancy.

Prior to your participation in our risk sharing program (after meeting its screening criteria), you must have paid any outstanding consult or testing fees and provide payment in full for your treatment cycle. The non-refundable portion is kept regardless of outcome after one fresh cycle of treatment plus possible frozen embryo transfers. Only once you are pregnant (10 weeks after retrieval), will we keep the refundable portion of your fee. Thereafter, subsequent frozen embryo transfers and any embryo storage beyond the initial 2 years are on a fee for service basis. Although few pregnancies miscarry beyond 12 weeks, (10 weeks post retrieval) and even fewer experience a stillbirth, we recognize the significant distress this causes. In these circumstances (absence of a live birth), frozen transfers of embryos from the original fresh cycle will be performed as part of the risk sharing program at no additional cost to you (except medications).

If we cancel your cycle prior to retrieval‡, you will receive a full refund of your "risk sharing" money (excluding medication). If you cancel your cycle prior to retrieval, you will be responsible for the actual charges incurred (fee for service) and an administrative fee of $500.00 The rest will be refunded. Once you undergo egg retrieval, even if no embryos are available for transfer (very rare), the nonrefundable portion of your payment is kept. If you are not pregnant or experience a pregnancy loss (< 10 weeks post retrieval), you must utilize your remaining frozen embryos within one year of retrieval or pregnancy loss (which ever is later). If you fail to do so, or discontinue treatment with remaining frozen embryos, we will keep your entire cycle deposit ($15,000). The refundable portion is returned to you if any of the following occurs during the IVF cycle:

1. There are no embryos to transfer.
2. No pregnancy occurs after fresh IVF cycle and all subsequent cryopreserved transfers from that retrieval.
3. A pregnancy occurs but it results in a miscarriage before 10 weeks.

Your initial office consultation (see current cost sheet) is not covered by the risk sharing program although it may be submitted to applicable insurance. It consists of review of prior records/history, physical examination, uterine sounding, baseline ultrasound*, seminal fluid analysis, strict morphology, and semen freeze. These are the same initial costs for all patients and form the basis of recommending IVF or other forms of treatment, the type of stimulation and method of fertilization used. Certain blood tests (including HIV, hepatitis B & C and syphilis for both partners, or rubella immunity of the female) are required of all patients prior to the initial visit and are not covered by the risk sharing program. Testing to meet entrance criteria into the risk sharing program (a cycle day 2-3 ultrasound and clomiphene citrate challenge test) is not covered (see cost sheet). This program does not cover the use or expense of donor oocytes. Prior inclusion in the risk sharing program does not guarantee subsequent participation by either party. To continue in the risk sharing program, you must have had at least 5 good quality embryos for culture in prior cycles. Enrollment is limited to a maximum of 3 cycles or a 2 year period.

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