Infertility is a medical condition where a couple is unable to get pregnant despite having sexual intercourse for a year without the use of birth control. Infertility treatments are available in the country, but they are certainly not cheap. Thus, it helps to have health insurance plans that can cover infertility treatments. Read on to know more about it.

Reasons for infertility

Before getting into the details of whether health insurance plans include IVF treatments or not, know the common reasons for infertility:

• Sedentary lifestyle
• Obesity
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• Excessive alcohol addiction
• Stress
• Unhealthy dietary habits
• Irregular sleep pattern
• Men’s reproductive illnesses like ejaculation issues, low sperm count and quality, etc.
• Women’s reproductive diseases like uterine fibroid, PCOS, etc.
• Advancing age of women
• Frequent usage of emergency contraception
• Infections and tuberculosis
• Surgical abortion
• Genetic causes
• Pollution

Do health insurance plans cover infertility treatments?

Infertility treatments are expensive. For example, an IVF treatment is going to cost somewhere around INR 1 to 4 lakh with no assurance of success. In any case, the fact is that most health insurance plansdon’t cover the cost associated with infertility treatments.

But in the last couple of years, some insurers have started introducing infertility treatment cover in their health insurance policies, and many plan to do that soon. Some insurance companies offer infertility treatment coverage in the base plan, while others provide it as add-on coverage. On the other hand, a couple of insurers have also linked infertility treatment coverage with maternity cover. They can also offer it with policies having a high amount as the sum insured.

But the level of cover for various infertility insurance policies might vary from one insurer to another. Every plan will not offer overall coverage and include all types of infertility treatments. Your best bet is to compare the health insurance plans and consider the expenses that every plan covers before you buy one.

Furthermore, health insurance plans with infertility cover might have a longer waiting period, capping, or sub-limit. Therefore, it is crucial to compare the health insurance plans to get a plan that can cover the infertility treatments in the best way.

Things to notice before you buy health insurance plans

Given below are a couple of things that need your attention before you buy health insurance:

• Look at the eligibility criteria to understand whether you’re eligible for the coverage
• Check whether the policy covers the cost of the infertility diagnosis
• Look at the infertility treatment procedures that the policy covers
• Look at the extent of the coverage and the sub-limits for different infertility treatments covered under the plan
• Consider the waiting period for the infertility coverage because it might range from two to six years based on the insurance company
• Consider the total number of insurance claims that can be raised under the policy

Start the infertility treatment soon to get the good news quickly! Research and take a look at the available policies to cover the cost of infertility treatments.