The cost of infertility evaluation and therapy: findings of a self-insured university healthcare plan.
OBJECTIVE
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.


METHODS
Historical prospective analysis.


METHODS
A university-based, self-insured, fee-for-service healthcare plan.


METHODS
Healthcare policy members from January 1993 through December 1995.


METHODS
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.


METHODS
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.
Stovall
D W
DW
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, USA. dwstoval@hsc.vcu.edu
Allen
B D
BD
Sparks
A E
AE
Syrop
C H
CH
Saunders
R G
RG
VanVoorhis
B J
BJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004624:Embryo Transfer / Q000191:economics; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007246:Infertility / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000191:economics; D019458:Insurance Coverage; D007484:Iowa; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014495:Universities