- Autumn Lucy went viral on TikTok after sharing how she's affording in vitro fertilization.
- The 33-year-old from Michigan is using a part-time job at Starbucks to fund infertility treatments.
- Here's her story, as told to Heather Marcoux.
When my doctor recommended pursuing in vitro fertilization, my husband and I quickly learned that even though we were paying for private insurance as small-business owners, IVF was simply inaccessible. Most states — including Michigan, where I live — don't mandate insurers to cover IVF. And without insurance, it's incredibly expensive.
That's why I now work 20 hours a week at Starbucks, and it's why 1.6 million people watched the TikTok I made on day one. Showing off my uniform and the green apron, I looked into my phone and told the world, "It's my first day at work at Starbucks for fertility benefits so I can pay for IVF."
I don't take any money home
I posted that video in August, and in January the benefits package I chose kicked in — one year after I was referred to a fertility clinic. I work three morning shifts a week, and for the first few months I received the standard wage, but as of January I no longer have any take-home pay because I chose the top benefits package that's allowing me to move forward with my dream of starting a family.
Thanks to that, I was able to drop the private insurance that was previously costing me $650 a month with a $6,000 deductible and didn't even cover IVF.
Before posting my first-day video, I had only a couple thousand followers on TikTok, but as folks hit the follow button, I decided to keep posting about my experience of subsidizing my IVF journey through part-time work. I'm using my new platform to talk about ways that nonwealthy people can access this life-changing treatment.
I'm moving into embryo transfer now
Now in the second month of my health benefits, I've been able to move forward with my egg retrieval and am scheduled to do a transfer of my healthiest embryo in April. After suffering multiple pregnancy losses, including an ectopic pregnancy that required emergency surgery to save my life, being able to access this treatment feels incredible. That's why I share the steps it took to get me here.
I'm not saying that getting a second job with IVF coverage is a perfect system — far from it. I believe in socialized medicine and think healthcare should be available for all Americans. But at the same time, I have to work within the broken system we have. So I'm making lattes and fraps three mornings a week while advocating that states add mandates and make fertility benefits a requirement.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to work for Starbucks and for the incredible management at my store. While others in my situation are having to take out huge loans — or even refinance their homes — to afford IVF, I feel I have found a shortcut, and that's why I continue to talk about this on TikTok.
I believe that regular, nonwealthy Americans should not be excluded from conceiving simply because we don't have $30,000 in the bank.
You don't necessarily have to take a part-time job as I did. You might be able to find better benefits in your current, full-time field. More and more companies are realizing that they can attract high-quality workers by offering this high-quality benefit. I encourage others to take them up on it before taking on debt.