Thursday, December 5, 2013

Financial questions

Hey, folks!  So, last night, I said I had been asked about the financial aspect to being a surrogate.  Just so I don't forget anything, I'm going to post everything someone asked me.  I'd hate to forget that one tiny detail that someone REALLY wanted to know about.  Lol.

"I'd love to hear about insurance considerations (do you have you own that pays some medical expenses, do the parents have insurance that pays?), legal fees (if they pay your legal expenses, can you trust that the lawyers are looking out for your best interests?), and if you have a c-section vs. a vaginal birth, is that worth more financially as your recovery will be longer?"

So, we'll just go in order to make it easier.  First off are the insurance considerations.  This is definitely a question I do get asked a lot.  For some reason, it just never occurred to me to answer it for everyone.  Lol.  I do not have any medical insurance.  I don't qualify at my jobs for one reason or another.  The agency knew that going in because it was the same way with the last pregnancy.  It's actually stated in the contract that the parents will pay for medical insurance that covers the pregnancy.  Obviously, I only use it for the pregnancy.  I feel bad using it for anything else.

When it comes to the legal fees, the parents also pay for those, up to a certain amount.  I remember with the first surrogacy, we were worried that the lawyer would cost more than that and we'd have to pay the rest of it.  However, we were reassured that the amount would more than cover the cost.  We used a different lawyer this time around than we did last time, but he's the lawyer we used for the birth order last time.  In Florida, my name automatically goes on the birth certificate, so we have to get a birth order done and filed to have the parents' names go on instead.  We know he has our best interests in mind because we went over the entire contract with him to make sure everything was satisfactory.  There were even things that we hadn't thought of that he suggested be changed to make sure that we were happy.  The first lawyer we had told us that we should never have to pay for anything out of pocket.  Even if we do, we get reimbursed.  

Having a c-section versus a vaginal birth is worth more financially.  Since my recovery time is longer, I'm missing out on wages from working.  So, I'll get some of those wages back.  Also, the contract states that I get a certain amount extra if I do have a c-section.  It is major surgery, after all.  The parents will also pay for all hospital bills and anything the insurance doesn't cover.  For example, with the last surrogacy, I had ultrasounds every month because it was twins.  Insurance only covered so many.  After that, the parents paid for the rest.  

I've also been asked what conversations are like with people once they find out I'm a surrogate.  The first reactions are pretty much the same.  They're either "Why would you do something like that?" or That is so amazing!" I get the latter a lot more than the former.  To be honest, it can get a bit embarrassing when people gush over you or something you're doing.  Then, we play a game of 20 questions, beginning with "What made you want to do something like that?" and ending with "How much do you get paid?"  For the most part, I do enjoy talking to people when they're genuinely interested about me being a surrogate.  Unfortunately, some just care about the money.  I'm not one of them, so I try to downplay it as much as possible.  Yes, it's great, but it's not why I decided to be a surrogate.

If you have any questions, ask away!  I like questions.  They give me stuff to talk about.  I like to talk, as anyone who knows me in real life can tell you.  Lol.  Until next time, I hope this has been informative enough for you!

2 comments:

  1. I got some similar money questions when I decided to be an anonymous egg donor years ago. The money was nice and helpful, but not why I decided to be a donor. I hope this all goes smoothly this time.

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    1. Thanks! So do I. It seems like a lot more than last time, though it's actually less. I think it's just the time crunch that has gotten to me.

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