Negotiating fees at GW?

[Anonymous]

You guys are being super-sensitive about her opinion. Get over it and good luck with your treatment. I am in the same boat and have no insurance coverage for IVF. I wouldn't dream of bartering.

PP 16:06 here. You are mistaking replying to someone's post for being sensitive to it. I didn't request anyone's opinion of what you call "bartering." I think if you read this thread, that opinion was offered without anyone really requesting it, but I was offering the courtesy of a reply.

It's okay for you to think this is "poor form," even though it may surprise you that it is done quite often. Clinics have financial counselors for a reason. If you'd prefer to think that IVF is somehow removed from the realm of business and that simply asking if price considerations are available is hurting your doctor's feelings in some way, that is super-okay with me. I don't quite understand the notion, in a region where there are many IVF clinics competing for the same pool of customers, package deals available, discounts on drugs, etc. etc. But it clearly is worth a certain amount of money to you to say that you've pulled on your big girl panties and to feel righteous about it.

In my case, my "bartering" (this is so funny to me. Like I traded IVF for a chicken and a couple of barrels of grain, as opposed to the thousands I paid. Hilarious!) was the difference between me being able to afford the procedure and not. That was a BIG THING for me to worry about -- I guess I'm more poor than you are. The price break I got was the equivalent of saving a few thousand dollars off a price I had been quoted at another area clinic. Saving that amount kept me quite calm. And in my case, I am just as pregnant as I would have been had I paid thousands more. So, whether some stranger thinks it was poor form and that her way is better, I got my heart's desire. Hope you do, too.

(For others reading this thread who are less interested in impressing people with their big girl panties, I promise you that the sky will not fall on you if you ask the financial counselor at your clinic if there are options available to you, either through reduced doctors' fees or drug discount programs, to make IVF more affordable to you. There is no shame in this. All that the clinic can say is no. But the possibility is that they'll say yes, especially if you're paying out of pocket. And don't be afraid to get price quotes at more than one clinic. There is more flexibility out there than you may be aware of.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why you expect a discount...why should someone give you a break for providing a service to you and working hard for you? I am an IVF patient paying 100% out of pocket. Yes, it is expensive. Yes, it sucks. But why would you expect someone to work for you for less? The last thing this doctor/clinic want to hear is that you want tippy-top care but expect to barter for it. This is not a garage sale. Pay the fees as stated and please don't be annoying.

I sense that you are sorry you did not try negotiating yourself. Shady Grove (for ex.) offers a variety of package deals and discounted rates for people under a certain income level. Many clinics around the country offer different packages of that sort. There are sources for discounted drugs. There are studies that some people can get into that offer discounted rates.

I, too, was an IVF patient paying 100 percent out of pocket. I'm the one who mentioned that I spoke directly with Brian. I'm sorry that you didn't feel comfortable negotiating and that I perhaps paid less than you (but maybe not, who knows). My goal is not to avoid annoying people on this board; I don't really care what other people think about how I spend my money. I am sure that clinics never offer a rate that will end with them failing to make a healthy amount of money on their services. Do people have the same sense of righteous outrage on behalf of the poor car dealer, or for the store owner who is undercut when people seek out cheaper products on Amazon?

You do your thing, and I'll do mine.

Agreed. Tell 'em how you really feel.

She obviously did do her thing and doesn't seem to be hanging around here waiting for your post! I have to say that I agree with her. I get the concept that things are negotiable - but I don't think an IVF clinic is analagous to a car dealership. I think it is poor form to haggle over the price with your doctor/clinic. Just pay it and move forward with your treatment. You guys are being super-sensitive about her opinion. Get over it and good luck with your treatment. I am in the same boat and have no insurance coverage for IVF. I wouldn't dream of bartering. I'm just putting on my big girl panties and dealing with it! I have bigger things to worry about that shaving a couple of hundred bucks off of an already whopping bill--would rather put that energy into staying calm and hoping for the best result. The first way I would do that is not to take up someone's valuable time at my clinic with asking for a rate reduction.

Nobody's getting sensitive, this is a forum where we talk it out.

But girl you better put those big girl panties on and get a grip on reality. Maybe If they guaranteed a baby, I wouldn't negotiate. I agree with the other poster that said these clinics are in business to make money, maybe babies, but definitely not friends. They are getting paid for their "valuable time" while I'm asking about financial options. That's what they are paid to do. It's cool that you have bigger things to worry about and I guess if a "few hundred bucks" is meaningless to you, then so be it. But some of us have bigger things to worry about like our bank accounts. By asking, NOT BARTERING, I got a significant discount at one of the areas top clinics for IVF (and it was more than a few hundred bucks).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:


Nobody's getting sensitive, this is a forum where we talk it out.

But girl you better put those big girl panties on and get a grip on reality. Maybe If they guaranteed a baby, I wouldn't negotiate. I agree with the other poster that said these clinics are in business to make money, maybe babies, but definitely not friends. They are getting paid for their "valuable time" while I'm asking about financial options. That's what they are paid to do. It's cool that you have bigger things to worry about and I guess if a "few hundred bucks" is meaningless to you, then so be it. But some of us have bigger things to worry about like our bank accounts. By asking, NOT BARTERING, I got a significant discount at one of the areas top clinics for IVF (and it was more than a few hundred bucks).

This is big girl panties - . How I wish they could guarantee a baby (as I'm sure we all do). But, they can't guarantee a baby - they can only practice their best medicine to help us have one. For sure they are a business - you and I agree on that point wholeheartedly. I have a great grip on my reality though - for me, the best decision was to pay this business's fees and get going on treatment. I'm sure you guys understand that the doctors own the clinic/practice...they are the ultimate decision makers with whom the financial director is updating on the "negotiation process." Trust me - the financial director does not have the final word on these matters beyond approving a payment plan. The doctors don't want to discuss it face-to-face with you but they make all the financial decisions about their business behind the scenes. In my reality, I'd much rather have the doctor devote his time to my case, treatment plan, and the latest research than my ideas on how much his services should cost.

By "bigger things to worry about" I meant my biggest worry in life right now is whether or not I'll become pregnant and deliver a healthy baby. I trust that is what we're all ultimately worried about and I won't get bogged down in semantics. I also stand by my comment regarding super-sensitivity. All of you are entitled to your opinions on how to navigate this scary place we're in - and I am entitled to mine. Best of luck to everyone for a successful cycle and a healthy return.

[Anonymous]

for me, the best decision was to pay this business's fees and get going on treatment. I'm sure you guys understand that the doctors own the clinic/practice...they are the ultimate decision makers with whom the financial director is updating on the "negotiation process." Trust me - the financial director does not have the final word on these matters beyond approving a payment plan. The doctors don't want to discuss it face-to-face with you but they make all the financial decisions about their business behind the scenes.

Your scenario sounds about right to me. But who the finance director ultimately gets approval from doesn't really matter to me. Doctors can walk and chew gum at the same time. And they're also able to say no. I'm not sure why one would think that asking for financial assistance somehow lengthens the process unduly. Having gone through it, it really doesn't.

Like I said earlier, what someone wants to pay is entirely their business. I am just as pregnant as someone who paid the "fees as stated." As you are standing by your opinions, I am standing by my opinion that it does no harm to ask about these things. It seems strange to me that someone would actually be critical of someone taking steps to pay less if paying less is an option.

But it's also instructive because it helps me understand better the mindset that keeps luxury goods sellers in business! I'll never be rich enough to just pay for something of this expense with ease -- this IVF was the third most expensive thing I've ever paid for in my 40 years of life (house and car being the first). And I negotiated over those items too, because price matters. I feel neither superior to nor inferior to others who make different choices. Nor am I sensitive about it.

Best of luck to everyone for a successful cycle and a healthy return.

I sincerely wish the very best to you as well. This road ain't easy, for sure.

[Anonymous]

Not sure how many people are still reading, but I did want to let people who are considering negotiating prices know that despite some of the PP's, you should not worry that it will lead to lower quality care. Leaving aside all else, it would be illegal for an RE to do so (not to mention they are liable for malpractice regardless of what you paid). So if you want to negotiate, especially if that is the difference between getting treatment and not, do not let the fear that your doctor will give you worse care stop you.

[Anonymous]

Of course your RE is not going to give your poor/substandard care if he accepts a lower price from you...but betcha he will return the patient's call who paid the price he set before he will return the patient's call who wasted his time negotiating...It is the little things.

[Anonymous]

Boy, there are some scared people here. There is not one possible way you can make that assertion, PP. Do you think that doctors lack such compassion that they would punish people for their income? (Or frankly, that they have so few patients that they even keep track of who paid what?) It's just so crazy to me that some people are so cowed that they think they'll be punished by their doctors for simply asking questions and, god forbid, "wasting their doctor's time."

It reminds me of another thread where someone chastised me for emailing my doctor instead of calling a nurse because in her opinion I was "wasting my doctor's time," even though my DOCTOR gave me no indication that he had any such problem responding to emails.

If Dr. F. at GW returned my calls/emails less quickly because I got a price break on IVF services, it certainly was not obvious to me. I was treated with courtesy and warmth at all times, and I never sensed this coldness that some of you think must have been in the back of his mind because I dared to ask for and receive a break on the clinic's fees as stated.

Seriously, folks. Pay what you want to pay. Who cares? It's your money. But please stop inventing scenarios where you think you got something better, or that you're a better person, because you paid more. It's getting silly.