Stovall, D. W., Allen, B. D., Sparks, A. E., Syrop, C. H., Saunders, R. G., & VanVoorhis, B. J. (1999). The cost of infertility evaluation and therapy: findings of a self-insured university healthcare plan. Fertility and Sterility, 72(5), 778-784. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0015-0282(99)00384-2
Stovall DW, Allen BD, Sparks AE, Syrop CH, Saunders RG, VanVoorhis BJ. The cost of infertility evaluation and therapy: findings of a self-insured university healthcare plan. Fertil Steril. 1999;72(5):778-784. doi:10.1016/s0015-0282(99)00384-2
Stovall, Dale W., et al. "The cost of infertility evaluation and therapy: findings of a self-insured university healthcare plan." Fertility and Sterility, vol. 72, no. 5, 1999, pp. 778-784.
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To assess the total costs of infertility coverage, determine the proportion of healthcare costs related to infertility, compare infertility costs to those of other diseases, and calculate a per member per month cost of an infertility benefit.
Design
Historical prospective analysis.
Setting
A university-based, self-insured, fee-for-service healthcare plan.
Patients
Healthcare policy members from January 1993 through December 1995.
Interventions
General and infertility-specific healthcare that included diagnostic tests for infertility, induction of ovulation, artificial insemination, donor gametes, in vitro fertilization, gamete intrafallopian transfer, zygote intrafallopian transfer, microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration, embryo cryopreservation, and frozen embryo transfer.
Main Outcome Measures
Healthcare costs, as calculated from the International Classification of Diseases, Volume 9 codes.
Results
Total healthcare and infertility-specific costs of the university healthcare plan over a 3-year period were $86,445,642 and $680,921, respectively. Therefore, infertility accounted for 0.79% of the total university healthcare costs. The mean total and infertility-specific per member per month healthcare costs were $86.15 and $0.67, respectively.
Conclusions
These data reveal that infertility costs account for only a small fraction of the total healthcare costs and can be attained at a nominal monthly fee.
