Surrogacy Costs: Why So Expensive?
A successful surrogacy outcome requires several teams of professionals and trained personnel and when one begins to take a closer look at these teams, why they are needed, and the role they play in ensuring Intended Parents have a successful and positive surrogacy experience, the costs involved begin to make sense. The surrogacy agency must have a program in place that addresses risk management in virtually all aspects of the process from evaluating a surrogacy carrier candidate to health care costs. A team of professionals is essential to understanding, evaluating, and responding to the various risks presented by the process and protecting Intended Parents to the extent possible. The following is a summary of the teams that should be in place in a surrogacy arrangement:
Psychological Support Team – This team provides initial evaluation of both intended parents and surrogates to ensure that both parties have dealt with the multitude of issues surrounding surrogacy. For example, a couple who faced years of infertility has endured many painful and disappointing moments. Issues that may need to be explored prior to beginning the surrogacy process. In situations where donor sperm or eggs are needed thereby meaning that one of the parents will not genetically related to the child may mean that need to be fully explored. How will the intended mother feel when the Surrogate is pregnant? What are the appropriate boundaries for the surrogacy relationship between Intended Parents and Surrogates? Why have you chosen to pursue surrogate parenting? Have you told anyone of your plans to work with a surrogate, and if so what were their reactions? Do you need help in explaining surrogacy to a family member or friend? What qualities do you want your surrogate to have? What type of contact do you want to have with your surrogate during the pregnancy and after birth?
Medical Team – The fertility experts on your team are the backbone of the process. Without an excellent team of fertility specialists there certainly a successful outcome is certainly at risk. Intended Parents may use the fertility experts that they have been working with or their surrogacy agency can assist in identifying a fertility clinic if needed.
Legal Team – Laws differ by state and it is important that a legal team is assembled to ensure that the laws of the surrogate’s state, the Intended Parent’s state and any required donor’s states are examined to ensure the best possible outcome. The attorneys must have expertise in the area of Assisted Reproductive Technology. The Agreements between the Intended Parents and Surrogates forms the foundation of one of the most significant undertakings both parties could ever engage in. As such, this Agreement must be thorough, prepare parties in advance for the multitude of contingencies and clearly lay out responsibilities, compensation issues, medical issues, and financial issues. Some topics may be somewhat uncomfortable for both parties to discuss without a mediator which is what agency management and the legal team does – this can avoid uneasiness and misunderstandings that can cloud what should be a wonderful experience of two parties bringing a life into this world together.
Administrative Team – Surrogacy is a complex process that must be managed from beginning to end. Recruitment and matching, meetings, appointments, financial processes, travel coordination, medical procedure coordination, and legal process coordination. All of this is done by agency staff who are experienced and can provide invaluable support and expertise throughout the process.
Insurance Team – Intended Parents need to understand what medical liabilities they face in the surrogacy arrangement. Does the surrogate have health insurance? If so, does that insurance cover surrogacy arrangements? If not, what are the options? This is one of the most important risk management assessments Intended Parents have in the surrogacy process. Should complications arise, health care costs can sky rocket so Intended Parents must have a thorough assessment of these risk factors and insurance options to protect them from risk.
Management Team –A surrogacy agency should have experienced, credentialed professionals overseeing the process who are sensitive and empathetic to the needs of surrogates and intended parents and who also bring professional skills to the process to ensure that the various issues and processes that are part and parcel of any surrogacy arrangement are properly managed. When there are problems in any of the various stages of the process, Intended Parents must have a reliable and competent mediator and manager to smooth out and correct the problems.
Are there less costly alternatives? Yes, there are. But how much are you willing to risk by opting for the less costly short cuts or programs that don’t offer top notch professional support in all these areas? The emotional and financial risks of a surrogacy arrangement are too great to leave it up to chance.
