Top 5 Surrogacy Insurance & Financial Responsibility FAQs

Hatch Fertility
09/07/2021

Surrogacy gives thousands of individuals who can't carry or conceive children on their own the opportunity to become a parent. Although an incredible service, it can also be an emotional, lengthy, and expensive process. Surrogates and intended parents must consider one critical element of the process — surrogacy insurance. 

Below are all the answers to questions you might have about insurance relating to your surrogacy journey.

Can intended parents cover surrogacy with a different insurance policy or a surrogacy-specific one?

Intended parents can cover expenses during the pregnancy using a surrogacy-specific one that can be purchased for their surrogate through an insurance broker. 

Can I be a surrogate without personal health insurance?

Yes, lacking personal health insurance does not disqualify you from becoming a surrogate. An insurance broker will help your matched intended parents purchase a suitable insurance coverage for your surrogacy journey. In most cases, you will get surrogate-specific medical insurance for the entire duration of the pregnancy.  

To start this process, you only need to complete a straightforward application that takes a few minutes. The insurance broker, and your agency, will guide you and your intended parents in having everything prepared by the beginning of the IVF cycle.

What does health insurance cover during the surrogacy journey?

During your surrogacy journey, insurance will strictly cover the pregnancy and delivery. However, the IVF process is very rarely covered by insurance policies, and is under the responsibility of your matched intended parents. Sometimes, the intended parents can get reimbursed for the IVF process through their insurance but this is not the norm.

Therefore, do not expect to provide your insurance information for any medical-related services at the IVF Clinic. As a surrogate, you will start using personal insurance or your surrogacy insurance after you are discharged from IVF care, at around week ten of pregnancy, depending on your clinic.

Will the baby use the surrogate’s insurance?

No. The baby is added to the parent’s health insurance policy at birth, provided they have global or US-based insurance. Most insurance policies have the option for parents to add new family members at a cheaper cost. Other available insurance policies can cover the newborn in the case that the parents don't have insurance.

The baby is added to the parent’s insurance plan during the third trimester. Doing this helps cover unforeseen complications, including premature birth.

Will surrogates receive medical bills?

Yes and no. You will receive medical bills related to your surrogacy journey. Your hospital and OB-GYN treat you as their patient and will mail the bills directly to you. However, medical bills will not be your financial responsibility.

You will simply need to send the bills to your agency for payment. Ensure you send them as soon as possible because the process can take some time.

Learn more about surrogacy insurance 

Every surrogacy journey is unique and different from the next one. Therefore, it is wise to find a surrogacy agency that will fully support you!   

At Hatch, our team is committed to ensuring you receive advanced care during your surrogacy journey. Ensure you get in touch today to learn more about Hatch.