Happy St. Patties Day & Things that really Tick me off!
First of all I would like to wish you all a very happy St. Patricks Day. I hope you all find that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. (We need something to pay for IF treatments!! ha ha)
So you ask what is ticking me off today. A while ago a request was sent out from my IVF clinic to send a letter to the local health minister. I am so annoyed that those of us who can't get PG have to pay dearly for a baby that may or may not ever happen that I decided to send a letter. Ya good idea, now I am really ticked off, here is a bit from my response.
My department relies on Alberta's medical community to determine medical necessity. Fertility treatments such as IVF and other procedures to enhance conception have not been identified as medically necessary to restore or maintain health and, therefore, are not insured under the AHCIP. While I appreciate your comments and am aware of the number of Alberta families who are affected by this issue, there are no plans in the immediate future to include IVF as a publicly funded service.
Medical consultations, radiological and laboratory services required to diagnose infertility, as well as treatment and surgery required to correct physiological and anatomical causes of infertility, are covered under the AHCIP. Medically necessary services provided during pregnancy and delivery that result from fertility treatments are also insured.
WTF, not a medical necessity? Ya I bet no one on that board has ever had IF problems? It just annoys me that it is not considered something that is necessary to restore or maintain health. I don't think my health does so great when I am dealing with IF. Oh and I love the comment that IVF is to ENHANCE conception? What?? Enhance it? How can you enhance something that didn't work in the first place? Oh but we are so lucky, if we happen to get PG that is covered enen thoughh it was a result of fertility treatments, how kind! Ya just a little sarcasm there)
I suppose this will annoy the crap out of me for a while!
Thank goodness I am scrapbooking this weekend, hopefully it will reduce my frustration factor!
FET Thoughts
Got the call to pre-register at the hospital for my HSG on Monday... I am sure I will still have to register when I get there, usually my paper work gets lost no matter WHAT I do!! Oh well nothing like some confusion to take your mind off of things. Looks like I have to drive myself Monday, that sucks as I usually get the sh*t knocked out of me after these things.
3 more sleeps until HSG day. Man will I be glad to get that over with!
Quote of the Day
"The best way to destroy your enemy is to make him your friend."
- Abraham Lincoln
(And if you don't destroy them they sure look confused anyway! Yes I am evil today!)
posted by soralis @ 7:53 a.m.
10 comments
10 Comments:
What a frustrating and infuriating response.
Good luck with the upcoming HSG!
As I myself work for an Insurance company, I do find it apalling at what is considered "medically necessary." I bet i you wer to write a letter to that same person and ask their policy on abortions or viagra use, those would be two covered situations. Is an abortion medically necessary? How about Viagra? Is the ability to get a stiffy medically necessary?
I hate beauracracy! (spelling)
Good luck with the HSG. I'e had one recently, and if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them! :)
Lori - Thanks for the good luck wishes
Tigglebitties - I love the comment about Viagra, that is too funny (Men must decide what is medically necessary, and I am sure the 'stiffy' is!! ha ha). Thanks for the HSG question offer. It is actually my 3rd one so I am kind of an old hat at it! YUCK!! :)
I am befumbled by the government and insurance lack of total understanding. Although, I would never wish this on anyone. It would be nice for fate to connect the "decision makers" with someone who has personally suffered through infertility. They would understand that the stress and toll that it takes on a womans body can create so many other problems. I could make a million arguments about the whole issue. Even before I knew I would have to go through infertility treatments, I could never understand why it was not covered by most insurances considering everything else that is.
Us, in blogger land, definitely understand and share your frustration.
Sorry you are going alone to your HSG. I have done that before and will try to never to do that again. Please take something comforting with you and really nurture yourself afterward. Hopefully everything "flow" well
Lastly, sorry about your mom. Frustrating and sad.
How frustrating! Obviously no one there had experienced infertility. I went and checked up on gender reassignment surgeries, yep, covered in Alberta. Seriously, it's not a life threatening condition, just like Viagra, how do they define all this as "medically nexcessary" and not infertility?
Enhance conception ??? Speechless.
I am still pissed off about the "standard response" letter I got from Jack Layton's NDP team. I thought maybe being NDP they might care a little bit but I was wrong. My response didn't even mention IVF, at least you didn't get a form letter back.
I hate this medically necessary crap. If getting PG isn't necessary, why is anything that goes along with it (ultrasound, c-section, etc).
hi Soralis
SOOOOO nice to meet you - thanks for visiting me on my newbie blog ;) i jsut looked at your profile up there - holy crap the things you have been through, woman. thank you so much for putting your stoy out here for all of us - it sure means a lot to see your story (and your twins ;)...
Here in the US, on my insurance (Blue Cross) NOTHING is covered, not even diagnosis of IF or corrective surgery or ANYTHING. it's a disaster in health care. Some Europeans get 1 free IVF cycle, that's better, but only one chance, eh? whew.
what tigglebitties says up there is totally true - Viagra... yeah, it's covered!!! i have actually no idea if abortion is covered under my plan, but i think she has a point! VERY interesting.
What is the HSG like? is it bad? (gulp)
p.s.
I'm blog-rollin' you. ;)
p.p.s. oops. i mis-read. :) I have had an HSG (not bad at all!) I thought I read "HcG" and were talking about the last shot before retrieval. D'oh!
Thank you for stopping by my blog. Good luck on your upcoming HSG and FET!
Thanks gals for all the support and thanks for joining in in my frustration!
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