Insurance for Surrogacy: What You Need to Know

How Insurance Works in Surrogacy

In surrogacy, health insurance covers the surrogate's pregnancy-related medical care — prenatal visits, labor, delivery, and postpartum care. The intended parents are responsible for ensuring the surrogate has adequate coverage.

The challenge: many health insurance policies exclude coverage for surrogacy pregnancies, and some specifically exclude pregnancies conceived through assisted reproductive technology (ART).

Surrogate's Existing Insurance

The first step is to review the surrogate's current health insurance policy. Your agency and attorney will check for:

• Surrogacy exclusions: Some policies explicitly exclude surrogacy pregnancies
• ART exclusions: Policies may exclude pregnancies resulting from IVF
• Reimbursement clauses: Some insurers can seek reimbursement from intended parents
• Deductibles and maximums: High deductibles may still leave significant costs

If the surrogate's insurance covers surrogacy pregnancy without exclusions, this can save you $10,000–$15,000. However, fewer than half of policies are surrogacy-friendly.

Surrogacy-Specific Insurance Policies

If the surrogate's existing insurance won't work, you'll need to purchase a surrogacy-specific policy. These policies are designed for gestational carriers and cover:

• All prenatal care and monitoring
• Labor and delivery (including C-section)
• Complications and NICU stays
• Postpartum care for the surrogate

Surrogacy insurance policies typically cost $15,000 to $30,000 for the premium, but they eliminate the risk of uncovered medical bills that could exceed $100,000.

ART Exclusions to Watch For

Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) exclusions are increasingly common in health insurance policies. Watch for language that excludes:

• Pregnancies resulting from in vitro fertilization (IVF)
• Pregnancies carried for another person
• Gestational carrier pregnancies
• Any pregnancy not resulting from natural conception

Always have an insurance specialist or your attorney review the surrogate's policy before proceeding.

Insurance for Intended Parents

Your own health insurance typically covers your fertility-related expenses (IVF consultations, sperm collection, etc.) if your plan includes fertility benefits. Check with your employer — an increasing number of companies now offer fertility and family-building benefits that may cover parts of the surrogacy process.

Newborn Insurance

Your baby will need health insurance from birth. In most cases:

• You add the baby to your health insurance within 30 days of birth
• Coverage is retroactive to the date of birth
• NICU care (if needed) is covered under the baby's policy, not the surrogate's

Contact your insurance provider before the due date to understand the enrollment process.

What to Budget for Insurance

• If surrogate's insurance covers surrogacy: $0–$5,000 (deductibles and copays)
• If you need a surrogacy-specific policy: $15,000–$30,000
• Life insurance for surrogate: $500–$750

Your agency can help evaluate insurance options and connect you with insurance specialists who understand surrogacy.