[tadanddrew]

Someone mentioned shared risk and I wondered if someone could explain what that is? My insurance won't cover anything that is infertility related, not even office visits-so any information would be appreciated. I'm going to see a new OB/GYN that specializes in high risk and infertility on Monday Hoping we can afford the next step.

[Rob&Irina]

here is the program our clinic has:
Shared Risk Refund ProgramSuccessful infertility treatment means having a baby. The reality is that most patients will need more than one IVF cycle to be successful. In fact, patients willing to commit to multiple IVF cycles can dramatically increase their chances of getting what they want - a baby.
If money were no object, committing to a multi-cycle IVF treatment plan would be a much easier decision. Unfortunately, the high cost of multiple IVF attempts and the reality that success is not guaranteed prevents most people from maximizing their chances of success with IVF. The IntegraMed Shared Risk Refund Program was designed to address this dilemma.
The IntegraMed Shared Risk Refund Program maximizes your chances of success with IVF through a 6-cycle treatment package and minimizes your financial risk by fixing the cost of treatment AND providing a refund if treatment is not successful. You can give IVF the best possible chance, while preserving your financial resources for other family building options should IVF fail.
How does the program work?If you qualify for the Program, you may attempt up to 3 IVF cycles and 3 FETs (frozen embryo transfers) at REACH for a fixed, discounted fee. When you take a baby home from the hospital, the full fee is retained. If you are successful on the first attempt you will pay more with this Program than the traditional fee-for-service payment method. However, in the event that treatment is unsuccessful, 70% of the fee is refunded.
What is the cost of the Program?The cost of the Shared Risk Refund Program varies depending on the woman's age and required treatment. For women under 35, the Program fee is about the cost of two cycles. For example, if an IVF cycle costs $8,000 at a participating fertility center, then the Shared Risk Refund Program fee would be about $16,000. The fee is slightly higher for women between the ages of 35-37.

[CandM]

DH and I don't have any IF coverage, either...UGH! We thought long and hard about the cost sharing aka: shared risk and DH even calculated a chart/grid. After reviewing it, we decided this is the best thing to do, for us anyways.

We ended up paying $22,000 for our cost sharing. This includes 3 fresh IVF and 3 FET, all to be used within 18 months. If after 18 months we do not have a viable pregnancy, we get ?75% of our money back. So definitely a bonus...we figured if our IVF doesn't work...that is about $15,000 we could use for adoption.

I admit I was a little hesitant doing the program...it's just sooooo much $$$$ up front, but now I am extremely glad we did it cause we are on our road to IVF #2. Without the cost sharing program we would have already spent about $15,000 and would be looking at another $10,000....so we have already saved over $3,000!

[alleykag]

I am in the integramed program. It has been really smooth so far. I am actually on ivf #3 (1st got cancelled). If your md is approved by integramed that means he/she has passed different standards/criteria to get approved by the integramed group. There is another shared risk program called ARC. There is also a bank in my state that offers a personal loan for infertility treatments. I don't know if it's like that everywhere, but it's worth looking into.

The good thing about it is you get money back at the end.