Courtesy of landmarkeducationnews.info

There is a great deal of controversy surrounding this issue. Infertile couples believe that it is the responsibility of the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) to pay for in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments claiming that infertility is a disability. According to the Infertility Awareness Association of Canada there are approximately 8,000 IVF treatments performed annually in Canada, about 5,000 of those performed in Ontario. In Canada the average price for an IVF treatment is $10,000. It is estimated that 28% of women who conceived as a result of IVF have multiple births.

It is currently estimated that one in eight couples in Canada suffer from infertility. According to Dr. Ri-Cheng Chian, scientific director of the McGill Reproductive Centre, the causes of infertility include tube blockage, pollution, stress, low sperm count, and in some cases older age. IVF has approximately a 40% success rate, and it usually takes three treatments before a woman gets pregnant.

What does OHIP currently pay for when it comes to IVF? Since 1994, OHIP contributes to the basic fee for IVF only for women under 40 whose Fallopian tubes are bilaterally blocked. The patient is responsible to pay for drugs and laboratory services which can equal or surpass the cost of the basic fee. If the man is infertile, there is no contribution by OHIP for IVF. However, artificial insemination is fully covered. If OHIP paid fully for IVF, how many treatments should they pay for? At $10,000 each, couples would be more than happy to continue trying when they had no financial burden to bear.

As a society we all want access to high quality health care, but should we be responsible for helping people to conceive children? There are only so many health care dollars to go around. Is funding IVF the best use of the taxpayer’s money? Then there is the reality of life once the baby or babies arrive. Who is going to support them financially? If you can’t afford the treatment to get pregnant how can you afford to raise the child or children? The Vanier Institute of the Family estimates that the current cost of raising a child to age 18 is approximately $164,483 for a boy, $163,464.00 for a girl. The cost of IVF is just the tip of the iceberg.