Some prospective surrogates worry that once the baby is born, they’ll be saddled with part of the bill. Know this: When you’re a surrogate, your pregnancy costs are always covered. Your postpartum health care is also covered, so the only thing you’ll be responsible for after delivery is getting back on your feet.
Here are some of the most common questions and concerns surrogates have about their postpartum expenses, as well as the answers to those questions:
Who Is Responsible for the Surrogate’s Medical Costs Once the Baby is Born?
Generally, when it comes to surrogacy, any cost that’s related to the pregnancy is the responsibility of the intended parents. This will include your postpartum pregnancy-related care.
The intended parents will have money in escrow, which can be used for up to six months of postpartum payments for things such as pregnancy-related medical expenses. So, you can know you’ll be safely covered for six months.
These specifics will all be carefully discussed in detail in your surrogacy contract, so you’ll have financial protection and everyone involved knows what to expect after the baby is born.
How Does Insurance Work?
Although it would make things simpler, the intended parents’ health insurance rarely covers any medical treatments for surrogates. Usually, this is because you are the one who’s pregnant — not the policy-holder (the intended parents).
Along with the costs of your pregnancy, your health insurance may cover some or all of your postpartum health care costs. This all depends on your insurance plan and your postpartum needs. If there are out-of-pocket costs or other health care expenses that your insurance won’t cover, the intended parents will cover these costs.
Your individual insurance coverage is something that’s taken into consideration when creating your surrogacy contract and working out finances with your intended parents. Your surrogacy professionals will be able to help you navigate this, so that your insurance can carry the costs whenever possible.
Whenever there’s an out-of-pocket cost like a co-pay at the doctor’s office, you will likely need to pay that up front. You will then be reimbursed for any of these costs through the aforementioned escrow account.
Bottom line — we’re here to make sure that you don’t pay for the pregnancy you’re carrying for someone else.
What Does Postpartum Recovery Usually Include?
Every pregnancy is different, so one woman’s postpartum health care needs will be different from another woman’s. If your past pregnancies have been pretty consistent, then you may know what to expect during your postpartum recovery and what your recovery needs may cost.
If the postpartum phases of your previous pregnancies have been more varied, here’s what you can usually expect after the average healthy pregnancy and complication-free vaginal delivery:
- Your doctor will ask you to come in for a postpartum follow-up appointment, typically two to six weeks after your delivery, to make sure you’re physically and emotionally well.
- Your doctor may recommend that you have a pap smear, typically six weeks after your delivery.
If you have any complications with your pregnancy — such as a cesarean section, hemorrhaging, or other medical issues — you’ll have more appointments with your doctor as needed to check on any sutures or bleeding and to monitor your overall healing.
Because your recovery needs will depend on your body, the time that it takes for you to recover and the costs of your postpartum care (as well as what your insurance will cover) will vary.
How Much Does Postpartum Care Cost?
Again, everyone’s postpartum recovery is going to be a little different. Your past pregnancies may be a good indicator of how long it’ll take for you to recover and what the costs may be like for your intended parents.
The best way for you to get a rough estimate of what your insurance will cover and what the intended parents will be responsible for is by contacting your insurance provider. You’ve probably done this before with your past pregnancies, but if you’re not sure what specific questions to ask your insurance provider, especially for a surrogacy situation, you can talk about it with your American Surrogacy specialist first. They’ll be able to offer you some tips.
As tiresome as handling health insurance always is, there are two key takeaways to keep in mind:
- Your American Surrogacy specialist is always there if you have any questions or if you need help figuring out health insurance and sorting out finances as you prepare for the surrogacy process.
- Surrogates are never presumed responsible for the pregnancy-related expenses in surrogacy. The intended parents are presumed responsible for whatever your insurance won’t cover, and your surrogacy contract will be designed to reflect that, so that you won’t have to pay for things like postpartum health expenses.
If you have any more questions about how the coverage of your medical costs works in surrogacy, call an American Surrogacy specialist now at 1-800-875-BABY(2229).