Fertility treatment rebate to ease financial burden on families

Pharma News: Women who have IVF or other assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments in private clinics can now claim a $2000 rebate in an Australian first.

The $80 million expansion to the NSW Affordable IVF Initiative, announced as part of the NSW Government’s 2022-2023 Budget, will extend rebates for pre-IVF fertility testing, introduce a new $2000 rebate for fertility treatment, increase the number of IVF treatment places in publicly-supported clinics and increase fertility preservation services for patients with a medical need.

The new rebate is estimated to help about 12,000 women with out-of-pocket costs associated with fertility treatments.

Professor Luk Rombauts, President of the Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand, welcomed the NSW Government’s commitment to supporting people who need medical assistance to start or expand their families.

“The extra financial support available through this rebate is an opportunity to provide more equitable access to fertility treatments and help more people across NSW fulfil their dreams of having children,” Professor Rombauts said.

Treasurer Matt Kean said the investment will see fertility treatments become more widely accessible to NSW families.

“The high costs of fertility treatment can be a hurdle and add stress to those experiencing fertility issues but the NSW Government is helping to lower these costs for families wanting to have a baby,” Mr Kean said.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the cash rebate is the first of its kind in Australia and eligible women can apply now for the rebate through their MyService NSW account or in person at a Service NSW Service Centre.

“This rebate will make NSW one of the most affordable places in the world to have IVF treatment, easing the burden of out-of-pocket costs families face to access fertility treatments to have a baby,” Mr Hazzard said.

To be eligible for the $2000 rebate, consumers must be a resident of NSW, have incurred an out-of-pocket cost from a registered private provider and have accessed the treatment from 1 October 2022.

Minister for Women Bronnie Taylor said that 16% of all couples will face fertility issues and the NSW Government is committed to easing the financial burden families face as they embark on their journey to start or grow a family.

“Costs associated with fertility treatments can often be prohibitively expensive and this rebate is going to make a big difference to that,” Mrs Taylor said.

“I am incredibly proud of our continued commitment to making the road to parenthood smoother for anyone in NSW struggling with infertility.”

The available rebate is separate to the existing rebate for pre-IVF fertility testing and is not available for lower cost treatments provided by one of the existing NSW publicly supported IVF clinics.

Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Victor Dominello said “The rebate is available through Service NSW and ready to apply for now. It’s as simple as logging into your Service NSW account and uploading a completed Fertility Treatment Declaration form and evidence of out-of-pocket costs.”   

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