Insurance rant....

As many of you already know, very few states mandate that insurance companies offer coverage for infertility treatment, which is just ridiculous. Ours is one of them.

That makes me mad enough, but it just KILLS me that the insurance company will pay to DIAGNOSE the problem, but not to treat it. However, they WILL pay for Viagara, surgical sterilization, hormonal birth control and countless other things. How in the HELL do they justify that?!?! Our infertility is NOT a choice we made - it is not a lifestyle choice - there is something MEDICALLY wrong with me and they refuse to cover it, but will happily cover other things that are OPTIONAL like hormonal birth control.

**Disclaimer: I am not saying they shouldn't cover the items mentioned above, simply pointing out the ridiculously selective criteria for covering them. ***

Yes, yes, I know they cover it because it's likely MUCH cheaper to pay for a pack of birth control pills, than to pay for a hospital stay for a birth. But, there are other options for birth control - that are both inexpensive, and readily accessible to EVERYONE.

But, for my husband and I, who have dreamed of kids since before we were married and have built our lives upon the desire for children, who did everything the way we were supposed to, went to college, got decent jobs, work hard, have a home (which is WAY bigger than we need if we can't have children) - the insurance companies have decided they have no obligation to fix something that is wrong. Not just something we don't like, but something that is MEDICALLY WRONG.

They'd never tell a cancer patient "we'll pay to find out what is wrong with you, but once we find it, you're on your own". Or a person with a broken leg "we'll take the damaged leg off, but we can't pay to have the bone set and a cast until it heals".

Yet they have told me and millions of other couples out there "sorry - you're on your own". They basically said, we'll let you find out what's wrong, so you can see how easily it could be fixed, but we won't help you get there. Actually, it's worse than that. They actually say, we'll pay to diagnose until you take that first step in actually treating. Then, we won't even pay for further diagnosis. So, if what my doctor thinks is wrong (I believe he is correct, so hopefully this never comes up) isn't, we'll likely have a fight on our hands to get them to cover further testing to diagnose a potentially overlooked condition.

When I sit down and think of how much we pay for insurance, and how it pays for plenty of "unnecessary" treatments for others, but won't even give us SOMETHING toward fixing something that has already been diagnosed, I just get sick to my stomach.

I just today have read stories of a couple who have to take 2nd mortgages on their homes to pay for treatment, another couple who have exhausted all of their options for the money to continue and now have to walk away after getting SO close to realizing their dreams, and another couple who need further testing, but the insurance company will not pay because she's already been through a medicated cycle. It's so wrong....

Insurance companies suck too.....