Carrot FAQ
Getting Started
How do I sign up?
Visit Carrot’s website to create an account.
What email do I use to sign up with Carrot?
Use the same email that you use to access your PlanSource account.
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
Residents and clinical fellows enrolled in the UC Residents and Fellows Health Plan are eligible. Contact your GME office for any questions about your eligibility.
When does my eligibility end?
Your program eligibility ends once you are no longer a UC resident or fellow or if you disenroll from the UC Residents and Fellows Health Plan. Your benefit ends on the day your employment terminates.
Can I access the lifetime benefit of $30,000 after my residency program ends?
Benefits are only available during your residency or fellowship with the University of California.
What options are available for residents/fellows when their program ends?
If your provider or agency allows it, you can prepay for services before your program end date. The date you receive services can be after your program end date as long as your payment is made before your program end date. To continue Carrot coverage through COBRA, Carrot services must be initiated before your residency ends. For more information about COBRA coverage, see “Continuing Care Through COBRA” below.
Eligible Expenses and Maximums
What is an eligible expense?
Treatments and services provided by an eligible fertility provider, adoption agency or gestational surrogacy agency are eligible expenses. View your benefit guide for more details about eligible expenses.
What is a “lifetime benefit maximum”?
“Lifetime” refers to the duration of your UC residency and/or fellowship. If you graduate or leave your training and then return to the program, you will pick up where you left on your available maximum benefit.
Getting Care
What if I can’t get an appointment with a provider?
The Carrot Care team can help you find alternative providers with earlier appointments. You can reach out via “Get Help” on your Carrot account page, or email support@get-carrot.com.
Continuing Care Through COBRA
Can I sign up for COBRA after my program ends?
Yes. If you submitted a qualifying medical expense during your residency, you have the option to continue coverage with Carrot through COBRA at a rate of $1,912.50 per month. Continuing coverage through COBRA allows you to continue to receive the UC financial benefit for services.
Carrot COBRA coverage is a separate benefit from medical COBRA coverage through UC.
Are Carrot services through COBRA limited?
Carrot COBRA coverage includes only medically necessary services, such as infertility or care due to medical necessity. Carrot COBRA participants are not eligible for elective fertility, adoption or surrogacy services.
Can I enroll in Carrot if I was participating in COBRA coverage last year?
No. Carrot COBRA coverage is available only to those who were active medical residents or fellows on March 1, 2023.
Spouses and Domestic Partners
Can a partner at another UC campus faculty/staff sign up?
Yes, if at least one partner is enrolled in a UC Residents and Fellows Health Plan.
My spouse and I are both UC residents. Can we each get $30,000 toward Carrot services?
No. The $30,000 reimbursement is one per family unit.
Does my spouse or domestic partner need to be on my medical plan to get services through Carrot?
No. Your spouse/domestic partner does not need to be enrolled in the UC Residents and Fellows Health Plan. However, you must be enrolled for your spouse/domestic partner to be eligible.
Can my spouse or domestic partner create their own Carrot account if I don’t have one?
No. You, the primary subscriber, must register with Carrot. You can add your spouse or partner’s email so that they can communicate directly with Carrot, but they will not have their own account.
Can my spouse/domestic partner use my Carrot card?
You will receive only one Carrot card. If your spouse/domestic partner’s name is listed on your account, they can use your card.
Is my same-gender spouse/domestic partner covered?
Yes. Your partner does not need to be enrolled in the medical plan to be eligible. However, they need to qualify as a domestic partner. See the UC Resident Benefits site for more information about domestic partner requirements.
Does my domestic partnership need to be registered with the state?
No, a domestic partnership does not need to be registered with the state to be eligible for Carrot benefits. However, it must be a qualified domestic partnership. See the UC Resident Benefits site or more information about domestic partner requirements.
Covered Services
What types of services are covered?
Carrot services cover a variety of treatments from pre-conception to postpartum. See the full list of covered treatments and services below. For more details about your coverage, view the digital benefit guide in your Carrot account.
Testing and Diagnostics
- Initial fertility consultation
- Transvaginal ultrasound baseline
- Semen analysis
- Lab tests and diagnostic procedures
- Genetic carrier screening
Fertility Preservation
- Egg retrieval
- Sperm freezing
- Egg freezing
- Embryo freezing
Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Doula expenses
- Milk shipping
Treatments
- In vitro fertilization (IVF)
- Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
- Donor sperm acquisition
- Donor egg acquisition
- Egg and sperm storage
- Shipping and transport of materials
Adoption and Gestational Surrogacy
- Adoption agency services
- Adoption-related legal services
- Gestational surrogacy-related legal services
- Gestational surrogacy—related agency services
Menopause and Low Testosterone (Low T)
- Expert-led group sessions
- Educational content
Fertility Medications
Fertility medications are included in Carrot’s covered benefits. Infertility medication is not covered by any of the Anthem Blue Cross medical plans offered to UC residents and fellows.
Pelvic Floor Therapy
Covered on a case-by-case basis. Contact Carrot for more information.
Genetic Testing
Can you use a provider outside California?
Yes. Care is covered if it is an eligible Carrot provider.
Are there any BMI limits?
There are no BMI limits.
Getting Reimbursed
Can I be reimbursed for care received prior to March 1, 2023?
No, care received prior to the program start date of March 1, 2023, cannot be reimbursed.
I paid for egg freezing services before March 1, 2023. Can I use the Carrot benefit to pay for ongoing storage payments?
Yes. Any expenses incurred beginning March 1, 2023, are eligible for reimbursement through the Carrot benefit.
How do I get reimbursed for services I paid for upfront?
Upload paid invoices for eligible fertility, adoption, and gestational carrier expenses to the Carrot website. You will be reimbursed by Carrot directly to your bank.
What is the Carrot card?
It is a prefunded card that you use like a credit card to pay for services so that you can minimize out-of-pocket costs for eligible expenses. Each time you use your Carrot card, you’ll receive an email from Carrot requesting a receipt for verification of the expense. You can also pay out of pocket for expenses using another method and request reimbursement from Carrot.
Do any of the covered services require prior authorization?
Prior authorization is not required for reimbursement of covered services through Carrot.
Do I need an itemized bill to be reimbursed for doula expenses?
Yes, you need an itemized statement that includes the following:
- Legal name of the business and the doula providing services
- Doula’s address and phone number
- Service recipient’s name
- Type of doula services provided (prenatal, labor, postpartum, pregnancy loss)
- Date of service (or range of service dates for the contract)
- Separate line items for each expense in the contract, including:
– Detailed description of service provided
– Cost - Detailed description of service provided
Cost - Total contract cost
- Amount paid: If paying in installments, please submit a separate statement for each payment
- Proof of payment
How soon should I expect my reimbursement?
The average turnaround time is three weeks (sometimes sooner or later).
Are there other costs, such as deductibles or copays?
There are no deductibles or copays.
Can I submit claims for reimbursement after my termination date?
Yes, you have 30 days following your termination date to submit eligible claims for reimbursement. Eligible claims are any covered infertility care, adoption assistance, gestational surrogacy, and fertility expenses incurred during the period of coverage prior to your termination of participation in the plan. No reimbursements will be made for expenses incurred after your termination date.
Tax Information
How will the Carrot benefit affect my taxes?
The funds you receive from UC to use on Carrot services may be considered additional income and taxed as such by the IRS. When you use Carrot funds, your monthly payroll check from UC will reflect the money used as additional taxable income.
In the U.S., there is a type of care, called qualified medical expenses (QMEs), that may not be subject to taxes. QMEs include:
- Fertility or preservation care due to an infertility diagnosis issued by a fertility doctor.
- Preservation care due to medical necessity, as determined by a fertility doctor.
Note: We cannot offer tax advice, but if you’d like help understanding your employer’s approach and how to determine whether a service qualifies as a QME, contact Carrot.
For more information about the tax implications of fertility services, visit irs.gov/publications/p15b.
Are there tax implications on conception without sex?
IRS guidelines state that where a same-gender couple seeks to have a child through gestational surrogacy, payments related to egg retrieval, IVF, childbirth expenses attributable to the surrogate, medical insurance for the surrogate, legal and agency fees related to the surrogacy, and other costs or fees arising from the surrogacy are not tax deductible under Code Section 213. See this article for more information.
Is the amount spent on the Carrot card considered taxable income?
Yes, it may be considered taxable income depending on the type of service. The tax implications are the same whether you choose to use your Carrot card or pay out of pocket and request reimbursement from Carrot. (See “How will the Carrot benefit affect my taxes?”)
Get More Information
Where can I find more information?
Create a Carrot account to access a guide that contains valuable information about your Carrot benefit, including financial coverage, eligible expenses, partner eligibility, and tax implications.
How can I find providers who accept Carrot?
After you have received your Carrot plan from your Carrot Care team, you can view the provider finder page from the menu on the left side of your Carrot account page.
