Tuesday, August 31, 2010

The Cost of IVF Medication in France

Got a report for the cost of my IVF medication that I was taking in June and it's actually not bad. For the whole lot, it cost 1,655 Euros. In the US and Canada, people have paid around 8,000 Dollars for their IVF meds. My goodness, what a difference! BTW, I'm extremely lucky as IVF is covered by the French government, so my bank account is not broke, just my ovaries. I'm not sure how much it cost for the IVF cycle (consultations, retrieval,etc.) as I did not receive this detail.

I must say, the cost of healthcare in France is reasonable. I'm unable to explain the complete healthcare structure, but here are some general facts:
-France has a mixture of public and private hospitals. Public hospitals are covered by the government and private hospitals are partially covered by the government, private insurance and yourself.
-To see a family doctor, it is 100% covered by the government and they pay the doctor 23 Euros for each consultation. Very reasonably priced in my opinion. Heck, the veterinarian costs more when I take my cat in.
-For a specialist, like a gynecologist, it is around 50 Euros for each consultation, which is partially covered by the government, partially covered by private insurance and I pay a bit towards this cost (around 20 Euros). If I see a specialist in a public hospital, it's totally covered by the government.
-For private healthcare insurance, I pay 60 Euros a month, which doesn't cover everything, but is very decent coverage.

When I was hospitalized in a private hospital for Endometriosis last year, the cost of the operation + 6 days in the hospital, was partially covered by the government and private insurance. From my own pocket, I paid around 500 Euros and that's including a TV and a private telephone line in my room.

For the most part the system works in France. Waiting time for tests and treatment is not very long. I got an MRI scan, colonoscopy, and blood tests, all done within a month of my diagnosis. The only complaint I have with my IVF process is that it is very impersonal and I feel like a number, but if they can get the job done, then I will be one happy camper.

I've got my next IVF appointment with the doctor on the 8th of September. Very eager to start treatment and hopefully this second round will be kind to us.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's amazing! I need to move to France...

Juliet said...

Good luck on the 8th. I know there's a lot out there about acupuncture increasing the likelihood of success... however, I'm a big fan of reflexology, even if your DH does it for you, or you do it for yourself. Made a big difference for me and most of my girlfriends TTC.

Liz said...

Best of luck for Wednesday!