Let’s get right down to brass tacks. Surrogacy isn’t cheap. Medical costs in the United States are not regulated, meaning that without insurance, someone could wind up in a very bad way financially as a result of medical bills endured without insurance. This is why, for the protection of both our surrogates and our intended parents, we require every match that we facilitate to carry insurance.
Perhaps one of the best ways to get affordable health care coverage is with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This plan is open to anyone and does cover surrogate pregnancies (in most states), but you can only be enrolled in the plan over one period of six weeks every year. This period is known as open enrollment.
For the 2019 calendar year, open enrollment begins on November 1, 2018, and extends to December 15, 2018.
Not every surrogate will need to apply for coverage under the ACA during open enrollment. About 30% of surrogates will have a personal insurance plan that covers a surrogate pregnancy. While that option is the most cost-effective and encouraged option, relying on only women with surrogacy inclusive insurance policies would limit the already limited pool of available surrogates by roughly 70%.
For women who need an insurance policy in addition to their personal insurance policy, the ACA is the most affordable, inclusive option on the market today.
By comparison, using the ACA for your surrogacy journey versus using a surrogate specific plan can save an intended parent upwards of $20,000. These plans have very few (if any) exclusions for things like pre-existing medical conditions. As an added bonus, these plans will not increase in price in the instance that your surrogate conceives twins. Finally, there is no cap in coverage, meaning that there are no maximum allowed amounts on medical care.
Since the surrogate will be the one covered by the plan, it will not matter if the intended parent is a US citizen or an international intended parent.
If you have additional questions on the Affordable Care Act or insurance in general, we’re always here and willing to walk you through it step-by-step.
For more information on open enrollment, the Affordable Care Act, and what changes are expected in 2019, check out this article, posted by www.verywellhealth.com
