Part 2 of 2. Some programs advertised as “comprehensive” include a lot of hidden surrogacy costs. In my previous article, I provided a detailed a check list of the anticipated expenses of any reputable surrogacy program. Couples considering starting a family can review all the costs of surrogacy and know if their program really is all-inclusive.
Knowing the total costs is half the battle. To understand if your surrogacy program is reputable, you also need to consider when and to whom payments are made. With that in mind, here are some notes you should know about when comparing surrogacy packages:
1. Consultation: Any reputable agent should consult with future parents at no charge until they are confident to move forward. The agent’s first task is to help you decide if surrogacy is the best solution for you — and in some cases it may not be. If an agent attempts to sell you a program without first reviewing your situation in depth and reviewing all opportunities and inherent risks, that should be an immediate red flag.
2. Conflict of Interest: Make sure your agent represents you and is not paid by or is financially linked to the clinic. This may create conflicts in your agent’s priorities.
3. Agency Fee: When you decide to start the procedure and want to make specific plans, the Agency Fee is due. The agency fee is paid only once, and is generally the only payment made directly to the Agent. Agency Fee covers his service to you from the moment you contact him to when you arrive home with your new baby.
4. Beware of Agents that ask you to pay them only, so that they will then disburse your payments to the clinic and other service providers. This is how most disreputable surrogacy schemes operate. The parents pay the agent for clinic services that never get performed or are significantly reduced.
5. Surrogate Screening: This fee is typically paid when the parents are ready to choose an egg donor or surrogate. The payment covers the cost of evaluating and initially preparing your surrogate. Although the surrogate’s agency typically has several potential candidates, they will not start full medical evaluation until an Intended Parent has made a request. At that time, a series of fertility tests, medical evaluations, psychological test, legal background check, and more are performed. All of these steps in the screening process should be covered.
6. Surrogate Compensation: In the United States the local laws often demand that entire surrogate compensation is paid up-front into an escrow account. Payments are then released to the surrogate each month during the pregnancy. In this case, there is typically a very large initial payment once the surrogate has been selected and signed. But this is balanced by very small payments made during the pregnancy itself.
In overseas programs the surrogate compensation is typically paid month-by-month during the pregnancy. In this case the monthly payments for prenatal are larger because they include the surrogate’s compensation as well as clinic fees.
7. Insurance for your Surrogate: In the US, health insurance for your surrogate is absolutely necessary. Hospital costs for even a minor complication can run tens of thousands of USD, and prenatal care alone is expensive if not covered by insurance. Your surrogate agent should recommend an affordable insurance program that covers all the pregnancy-related medical expenses. Premiums are about $500/month. Most policies include some form or deductible and co-payment — make sure to add those to your budget. Your policy’s total out-of-pocket payments should be capped at about $5,000 USD.
8. IVF and Embryo Transfer: When the parents are ready to conceive their embryos and impregnate their surrogate, they will make these clinical payments. This fee pays for the Egg Donation, IVF procedure, and the first embryo transfer.
9. Surrogate Meds (before, during and after): Different clinics and agencies will treat the cost of medication differently. A well-managed program will include the cost of the medication in the original budget. In other cases the cost of meds is added on as an extra expense (which is generally done to make the total cost of the program appear cheaper, which is another red flag).
10. Prenatal Care: Prenatal care includes the surrogate’s housing, prenatal exams, ultrasounds, and personal oversight (including housekeeping, child care, clothing allowance, etc.). Payments are not refundable, so the cost of prenatal care is generally separated into installments. If for some reason the pregnancy terminates, future installments are not needed, but the intended parents will lose any payments made to that point. Payment can be made every month, or every trimester of the pregnancy.
11. Delivery and Recovery: This payment covers the cost of the delivery of the baby and the post-natal care of the surrogate. Because deliveries often happen prematurely and without warning, this payment is often required at Week 30, well before the estimated delivery date. In some programs the surrogate’s final compensation is withheld until after the delivery to ensure she continues to be available during the bureaucratic process of apply for citizenship, passports and the return home of the baby.
12. What’s NOT covered: Program fees typically do NOT include egg donors, hotel accommodations, airfare, country-specific legal processes, or extraordinary medical care for the baby or the surrogate mother. However, any reputable agent will work with you to develop a complete budget that includes all these non-standard surrogacy costs before signing any agreement.
13. The Return Home: Programs overseas may include add-on fees to assist the baby’s return home with the parents. The largest is often a DNA test, which can be $750 USD or more. If the legalization process requires a court order, parents can expect to pay legal fees directly to a local lawyer.
Most agencies will include at least a portion of the paperwork needed to register the baby’s birth and start the process of establishing the baby’s citizenship. That often includes the birth certificate, copies of the surrogacy contract, and hospital records of the birth.
Surrogacy costs are typically paid throughout the course of the 12-month long process. For surrogacy programs overseas, payments will be divided into relatively equal, manageable phases. By managing the pace of the program, future parents can also manage when payments come due.
For more info, visit https://www.sensiblesurrogacy.com/surrogacy-costs/
Bill Houghton is a family & surrogacy consultant focused on the LGBT community. His consultancy, Sensible Surrogacy, assists couples navigate affordable and complete surrogacy options through a network of clinics, surrogate recruiters, and legal resources in five countries.
For more info on the cost of surrogacy worldwide, visit https://www.sensiblesurrogacy.com/surrogacy-costs/
Didn’t find what you need? Search our Surrogacy Guide for all the answers… [search]
…or return to the ‘Sensible’ Surrogacy Guide.
