Gift of Hope IVF Grant applications now open for Louisianans

FILE – In this Aug. 7, 2018 file photo, a doctor performs an ultrasound scan on a pregnant woman at a hospital in Chicago. A new study released Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019, suggests when a pregnant woman breathes in air pollution, it can travel beyond her lungs to the placenta that guards her fetus. During pregnancy, particle pollution is linked to premature births and low birth weight, but scientists don’t understand why. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford, File)

by: Abigail Jones

Posted: Mar 2, 2022 / 05:00 PM AST

Updated: Mar 2, 2022 / 03:17 PM AST

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LAFAYETTE/BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) — Applications for the Gift of Hope IVF Grant are now open for Louisiana couples and individuals who face medical and financial roadblocks to having a baby. Eligibility requires that they earn less than $100,000 per year, have no or limited insurance coverage for infertility and that IVF is medically necessary to conceive.

One Louisiana individual or couple will receive a grant for a free cycle of in vitro fertilization (IVF) through a program called the Gift of Hope. Applications are available to download from FertilityAnswers.com. The deadline to apply is April 29, 2022.

According to Fertility Answers, one in eight Americans struggle with infertility each year, yet only a quarter to a third of healthcare insurers offer coverage for infertility treatment. While Louisiana law prohibits the exclusion of insurance coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility, it does not require insurers to cover fertility drugs, inseminations, IVF, or other assisted reproductive techniques.

“We started the program as a way to help patients in Louisiana undergo IVF who could not otherwise afford it,” says Dr. John Storment, medical director and founder of Fertility Answers. “So many couples we see with difficulties conceiving need this procedure to build their families. But because the cost is so high and very few insurance policies cover it, low-income earning couples often have to put off or forego building their families. We feel strongly that all people should have the hope to build their families, no matter their financial situation or insurance coverage.”

Gift of Hope IVF Grant donors includes Dr. John Storment, Dr. Susan Conway, and Dr. Neil Chappell, infertility specialists at Fertility Answers, and IVF services partner Ovation Fertility. Since 2006, there have been 24 Louisiana couples chosen for the Gift of Hope IVF Grant with nine babies. The combined value of donated services for one Gift of Hope IVF treatment cycle is estimated at $15,000 to $18,000.