Paying for IVF in the US
A stimulated IVF cycle at a fertility clinic. Four routes can pay for it: Original Medicare, Medicaid, employer or Marketplace insurance, and paying the provider yourself. The table sets out what each route covers and the price, with the source of every figure and the date it was read. Where a route publishes nothing, or this site has not read it, the cell says so.
How each route pays for IVF
| Route | What it covers | Wait | Payment or price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original Medicare | Not trackedMedicare’s coverage of fertility treatment has not been read | Not publishedNo official US source publishes waiting times for elective care | Not trackedNo Medicare payment for fertility treatment has been read | None for this row |
| MedicaidRun by each state within federal rules | 1 of 51 state Medicaid programs covered some fertility treatmentAs of January 2020, from Medicaid handbooks and manuals. 10 covered diagnosis or counselling only; 39 listed it as not covered; 1 did not mention it. The count includes DC. Each state is on the insurance pages linked below. | Not publishedNo official US source publishes waiting times for elective care | Not trackedNo Medicaid payment or cost-sharing for fertility treatment has been read |
|
| Employer or Marketplace insuranceAs a mechanism; no insurer, plan or premium is named | Set by each plan’s terms71% of workers with employer coverage are in self-funded plans (KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey 2026), where the employer pays claims from its own funds. | Not publishedNo official US source publishes waiting times for elective care | Up to $10,600 a yearFederal cap on in-network cost-sharing for an individual on a Marketplace plan, plan year 2026 (family: $21,200). Excludes premiums, services the plan does not cover and out-of-network care. |
|
| Self-pay at a fertility clinic13 of 452 clinics publish a readable base-cycle fee | The clinic’s own base-cycle fee, as its fee page lists itWhat a base cycle includes is in each clinic’s own wording on its fee page | Not publishedNo official US source publishes waiting times for elective care | $9,450Median base IVF cycle fee, one figure per operator, 13 fee schedules, fee pages read 15 April 2026 to 16 September 2026 |
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- Waits: no official US source publishes waiting times for elective care, so none is shown for any route.
- State requirements to cover fertility treatment do not apply to self-funded employer plans (KFF: Coverage and Use of Fertility Services in the U.S. (Sep 2020), read 26 October 2026), which cover 71% of workers with employer coverage (KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey 2026). What each state's statute requires, and its Medicaid position as of January 2020, is on the state insurance pages.
- Figures from different routes are not added together or compared as one bill. What Medicare pays, an insurance cap and a provider's self-pay price each describe a different thing.
Paying yourself: the Good Faith Estimate
Providers and facilities must give uninsured and self-pay patients a Good Faith Estimate of expected charges when a service is scheduled or on request.
Source: eCFR: 45 CFR 149.610, In force (45 CFR 149.610, text as of 2026-10-01), read 26 October 2026.
More on IVF in the US
Sources
- KFF: Coverage and Use of Fertility Services in the U.S. (Sep 2020). Read 26 October 2026. States that their fertility coverage requirements do not apply to self-funded employer plans.
- Arizona Reproductive Medicine Specialists, LLC: fee page. Read 15 April 2026. Fee as the clinic publishes it.
- Assisted Fertility Program: fee page. Read 15 April 2026. Fee as the clinic publishes it.
- Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine & Fertility: fee page. Read 15 April 2026. Fee as the clinic publishes it.
- Chelsea Fertility NYC: fee page. Read 16 September 2026. Fee as the clinic publishes it.
- Conceptions Fertility Center: fee page. Read 15 April 2026. Fee as the clinic publishes it.
- Cooper Institute for Reproductive Hormonal Disorders, PC: fee page. Read 16 June 2026. Fee as the clinic publishes it.
- Nashville Fertility Center: fee page. Read 16 June 2026. Fee as the clinic publishes it.
- Pozitivf Fertility: fee page. Read 15 April 2026. Fee as the clinic publishes it.
- Shady Grove Fertility Tampa Bay: fee page. Read 16 June 2026. Fee as the clinic publishes it.
- Tripler Army Medical Center IVF Institute: fee page. Read 15 April 2026. Fee as the clinic publishes it.
- Utah Center for Reproductive Medicine: fee page. Read 16 June 2026. Fee as the clinic publishes it.
- Washington Fertility Center: fee page. Read 15 April 2026. Fee as the clinic publishes it.
- West Virginia University Center for Reproductive Medicine: fee page. Read 15 April 2026. Fee as the clinic publishes it.
- eCFR: 45 CFR 149.610, In force (45 CFR 149.610, text as of 2026-10-01). Read 26 October 2026. The Good Faith Estimate rule.
- KFF: Coverage and Use of Fertility Services in the U.S., Appendix 2 (State Medicaid Coverage of Infertility Services), as of January 2020. Read 26 October 2026.
- KFF: 2026 Employer Health Benefits Survey, KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
- HealthCare.gov glossary: out-of-pocket maximum/limit, Plan year 2026. Read 26 October 2026.