(My apologies for the weird ~ marks – for some reason it won’t let me space the post the way I want it and that was the only way I could insert a space)
~
I clicked on a Facebook link yesterday that gave a fictional story of a couple with infertility. I can relate to that. I can relate to almost all of them. At the end of the story though was information on something that was apparently introduced in 2011 but until now I had never heard of: The Family Act
~
  • The Family Act covers the out-of-pocket costs associated with in vitro fertilization (IVF) including diagnostic tests, laboratory charges, professional charges, and medications for IVF.
  • The Family Act covers the out-of-pocket costs of fertility preservation procedures if the man or woman is diagnosed with cancer and the cancer treatment or disease itself may result in infertility.
  • The Family Act has a cost sharing provision allowing 50% of all applicable medical expenses to be  covered up to a lifetime maximum of $13,360. You would need to have out-of-pocket costs totaling $26,720 to claim the entire credit in your lifetime.
  • If you do not owe taxes in a particular year, do not owe enough taxes to use the whole credit, or do not reach the max amount in one tax year, it carries over to the next year for a max of five years after the first year you use the credit.
  • The Family Act is available to couples filing jointly with adjusted gross incomes of less than $222,520, but the credit is smaller for those earning between $182,500 and $222,520.
As all of you probably know by now, either because you’ve experienced it or I’ve complained about it so much, most insurances do not cover infertility treatments. This opportunity for a tax credit would be a HUGE help in lifting the financial burden. Except it hasn’t passed yet. Naturally I hopped on board and clicked to send a pre-written email asking my state “decision makers” to support this Act.
~
The format looked like this:
~
Senator Lindsey Graham
Russell Senate Office Building, Room 290
Constitution and Delaware Avenues, NE
Washington, DC 20510-4003
~
Dear Senator Graham,As someone who cares about the 7.3 million women and men with
infertility, I ask for your support in co-sponsoring the Family Act of
2011, S 965. The Family Act creates a tax credit for the out-of-pocket
costs associated with infertility medical treatment.

*Enter personal statement here*

Thank you for your support of S 965, the Family Act.   And thank you
for helping millions of Americans build their families.

Sincerely,

Theresa ——-
Address etc.
~
At first I tried to click through without a personal statement.
~
But it wouldn’t let me.
~
Where do I even begin? I could go on for pages on the effects of infertility – physically, emotionally, financially. How it impacts your marriage, your social life, your work, play, everything. I’ve blogged about this before. However, our state “decision makers” don’t have that kind of time. How on earth do I describe this in just a few sentences that someone important might actually read?
~
I have to admit I thought of a few sarcastic, not so PC ones:
  • Teenagers everywhere get pregnant because they didn’t use birth control. I did. I got a job and got married. Now I have to pay for the chance to have a baby. In the words of every teenager out there: that’s not fair.
  • Seriously? Snookie is pregnant. Please support the SANE people trying to build families
  • Because I shouldn’t have to take a second mortgage out on my house to have a baby
  • First comes the love, then comes the marriage, then we push the debt around in the baby carriage. Please support this tax credit
  • Because we have a MEDICAL PROBLEM that ordinarily would be covered by insurance, but for some ridiculous reason that I can’t understand it isn’t, so at least give us the freaking tax credit
  • Because I could beat you in a race
  • Because I don’t want to have to pay for depression meds on top of treatment
  • Because I’m cool people
  • Because IVF costs as much as a CAR. (At least when you buy a car, you know you get to take it home)
Finally, I decided on this:
~
Infertility is a heart wrenching experience and the treatment cost is
often astronomical. Please help support our fight to build our family
by lessening the financial burden.
~
I don’t usually post here asking people to do things. Please take a few minutes, click the link below and send a letter to your state “decision maker” to support this for all of us.
~
Because if this were passed for tax year 2012, it would be a HUGE help to me, and many others I know and don’t know going through IVF this year.
~
Because I can out run you.
~