Should adoption be covered by health insurance if fertility treatments are covered?

Question

So I'm playing Devil's Advocate a little, but it seems logical to me. If your health insurance covers fertility treatments (mine doesn't though...), then given that adoption accomplishes the "same" goal (technicalities about where the DNA comes from accepted), then doesn't it make sense that the employer or the health insurance provider should also provide adoption benefits that match?

A friend of mine can get fertility treatments totaling tens of thousands of dollars, but he can't get $100 toward adopting. Me... I can't get either.

Any suggestions for convincing my employer of the logic here would also be appreciated.

Answer 1

I know what you're saying, but health insurance doesn't cover it.  It's covered by the adoption tax break instead.

Answer 2

Fertility treatments are *health* related.  Adopting has nothing to do with your health or any part of your body.  Hence, health insurance.  Now, with that being said, I do think someone out there should be able to help back parents that want to adopt.

Answer 3

With adoption, you will not be having a medical procedure done, hence it will not pay. Even if you convince your employer, you will not be able to convince the insurance company.

Answer 4

Insurance that covers infertility treatments is not common. Your friend is very lucky. The treatments cover the cost of the medical procedures, medications and Dr visits that the person must endure to get pregnant. How do you figure that is the same with adoption? The adoption cost is generally legal fees etc, not the cost of the birth mother giving birth. That is generally handled another way with Medicaid unless this is a private adoption. But my health insurance, pick up my son on my insurance as soon as I was in custody of him but before his adoption was final. I hear they do the same with some foster kids situation.  I don't guess I can help you with logic for your employer. But I can tell you there is an income tax adoption credit that you file on your income taxes the next year after you adoption is final. I think it is up to 15,000 now

Answer 5

They probably don't cover birth control either. An employers health bebefit package shouldn't have to concern itself with someones ability or inability to have children.

If an employer wants female employees around, they ought to offer birthcontrol in the benefit package.

Fertility issues are a couples own issues, NOT the companys. An employers should not have to dish out money so some lady can have 5 babies before term, and three have life long birth defects from the treatments. they'd just be setting themselves up for bankrupsy with that one family.

Fertility treatments should come out of that persons own pocket, not a cmpanys. There shouldn't be an adoption clause in an employers policy anyways. If you want a baby, then you can pay for it. The money they get back in taxes comes from the taxes that were paid at the adoption.

This is a ridiculious argument, so I quit.

Answer 6

No, they shouldn't provide those same benefits for adoption.  It isn't a health related matter.  Health insurance is for health purposes period.  I am sorry about your circumstances though, and I hope things work out for you.

Answer 7

Interesting topic.  Infertility involves medical treatment which is what medical insurance is for...adoption does not, although it achieves the same results.

There are adoption grants you can apply for to augment the tax credit.  We adopted a sibling group from Colombia & all but about $500 was replaced by the tax credit because it's per child/adoption.

Now...there are ways to do a lower cost adoption.  Some countries have lower costs.  When we were investigating adoption, Haiti was one country that was under $10,000 in fees and out of pocket expenses (this was several years ago, it might have changed).

You can also adopt from the foster system.  This is a virtually cost free way to complete an adoption.  Most of your out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed by the state.

Some states offer adoption tax credits, too.

Now for getting your employer to look into adoption benefits -- GOOD FOR YOU!  You can go to the Dave Thomas Foundation (Google it, although I think the url is http://www.davethomasfoundation.org...I could be wrong).  They have on their website a page of suggestions and information to take to your employer when you suggest an adoption benefit.  One thing to bring up to the employer is that a very small percentage of employees actually utilize the benefit, but it makes the company be seen as much more family friendly, which makes it easier to recruit and retain qualified people.  When we looked at it, I think the adoption benefit was utilized by approx. 2% of the employees on average.  Low cost benefit that is a huge blessing to employees who do utilize it and gives a good face for the company publicly.

SG

Answer 8

You won't die if you don't get stitches, but you get them anyway, right?  

No, adoption should not be covered. The reason why infertility is partially covered is because something is broken.  I think it is reasonable to attempt to fix or bypass the process.  There is a lifetime limit on fertility coverage as well (I don't think anybody goes beyond 6 cycles) and insurance typically does not cover the drugs used.   Eventually, costs accorded to new technology will come down in price.  In fact, IVF has come down in cost so considerably that even the average person can afford it.

Life is not fair.