The Infertility Journey: A Personal Story

For 10 years, I had executive responsibilities for worldwide benefits and well-being programs at a Fortune 500 company. This included the US medical plan, which at its peak had about $250 million in total paid spend. Prior to 2017, the medical plan didn't cover any fertility treatments. In 2016, my benefits team vetted progeny and saw that it really aligned to our overall benefits philosophy and guiding principles.

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One in six people globally is affected by infertility—and that means getting pregnant can be expensive. Today, we'll talk about the different types of fertility treatments available like IUI and IVF, how to budget for those costs, and some of the ethical implications of the topic at large.

We'll also be joined by Arielle Bogorad, the SVP of Employer Market Strategy at Progyny, an organization offering comprehensive fertility and family building benefits to more than 5M people across the United States. She'll share more on how to navigate the US healthcare system, what to ask your insurance providers, and how we can advocate for inclusive coverage at a policy level.

Learn more about our sponsor, Vin Social: https://www.vinsocial.vip

Transcripts can be found at podcast.moneywithkatie.com.

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Mentioned in the Episode

1 in 6 people affected by infertility globally: https://www.who.int/news/item/04-04-2023-1-in-6-people-globally-affected-by-infertility
Fertility treatment coverage in 2023: https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/issue-brief/coverage-and-use-of-fertility-services-in-the-u-s/
80% of patients who've undergone fertility treatments say it's negatively impacted their finances: https://www.lendingtree.com/personal/fertility-treatments-survey
2011 survey on fertility treatment costs: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3043157/
The cost of IUI, per FertilityIQ: https://www.fertilityiq.com/iui-or-artificial-insemination/the-cost-of-iui#components-of-iui-cycle-cost
The costs of fertility treatments today, per Forbes Health: https://www.forbes.com/health/family/how-much-does-ivf-cost/
Stats on adoption from the Department of Health and Human Services: https://www.ccainstitute.org/resources/fact-sheets
The costs of adoption, per Nerdwallet: https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/adoption-cost
Resolve.org from the National Infertility Association: https://resolve.org/take-action/our-issues/
Fertility treatment grants: https://resolve.org/learn/financial-resources-for-family-building/fertility-treatment-scholarships-and-grants/
IVF lotteries: https://www.verywellfamily.com/how-to-enter-an-ivf-contest-or-lottery-1960052
Family building loans and financing plans: https://resolve.org/learn/financial-resources-for-family-building/financing-programs-for-fertility-treatment/
Shared risk IVF clinics: https://bundlfertility.com/blog/how-shared-risk-ivf-makes-fertility-care-affordable/
Aura Finance x Noula event on fertility and pregnancy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GugaVKAwg0
Setting up for medium-term goals: https://podcast.moneywithkatie.com/how-to-set-up-money-management-systems-for-short-term-long-term-goals/