It occurred to me over the weekend that insurance in this country is kind of dumb and, as a result, a limited number of ultrasounds are likely covered under my insurance plan. So this week I decided to do some research.
From my insurance provider
I contacted my insurance company first. In reply, I received a very confusing message that included a lot of legalese (which I am still waiting for my provider to translate into English). However, that message also included the fact that only one ultrasound per pregnancy is covered by my plan.
Seriously? One?
I already had one ultrasound to confirm the fact that I’m pregnant in the first place? Does this mean I am screwed for the remaining 8 months of my pregnancy?
They did add a provision that other ultrasounds may be covered if they are deemed medically necessary, but they did not define “medically necessary”. I’m hoping that includes the fact that I will be 40 (!!) when this kid is born.
I am waiting for clarification on all of this.
From my fertility clinic
I contacted my nurse and the financial office at my fertility clinic in the hopes that they could help me translate the insurance company’s reply.
On the up side, they speak “normal average human”.
On the down side, they could not provide more details about what the insurance company was trying to say either.
Back on the up side, they were able to give me real numbers about how much an ultrasound costs. $295. (In my case. YMMV.) That’s not terrible. I mean, it’s less than half the cost of sperm.
Tagged: first trimester