MORE couples could be eligible for government-funded IVF treatment under new criteria unveiled yesterday by Health.
The proposed changes are due to be discussed by States Members as part of the Government Plan debate in November and would, if approved, replace the current system, which funds IVF only for couples with a combined income of less than £40,795.
Under the new criteria, all eligible couples would qualify for at least one funded IVF cycle regardless of household income, while households earning less than £82,300 annually would qualify for up to three funded cycles.
Households with a gross annual income of less than £200,000 would be eligible for two funded cycles.
Confirming the eligibility criteria, the government said: “IVF must be clinically appropriate and the woman must be under 40, or aged 40 to 42 and have undergone tests showing they are likely to respond to treatment, and all other eligibility criteria must be met, including the requirement for the couple to be in a stable relationship, and for both partners to be childless.”
The private cost per IVF cycle in Jersey is between £4,000 and £4,500.
If approved, the changes would take effect from 1 January, with an additional £620,000 per year allocated to the IVF budget as part of the proposed Government Plan.
The move follows a proposition to improve IVF funding, which was lodged by Deputy Lucy Stephenson earlier this year.
In her proposal, Deputy Stephenson, who has personal experience with infertility and is a founding governor of fertility support charity Tiny Seeds, called the current system “outdated” and said that the threshold for funding was set at such a low level that no one had ever qualified for it.
She argued that the Island should adopt UK clinical guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which recommends funding three full cycles of IVF for women under 40, or one full cycle for those aged 40 to 42. But politicians backed an amendment lodged by Health Minister Tom Binet.
In a statement issued yesterday, Assistant Health Minister Andy Howell said: “We are pleased to be able to bring forward the proposed new criteria for funded IVF treatment, which we hope will assist many more couples who are struggling to have a family.”
Tiny Seeds governor Chloe Fosse acknowledged that while the new criteria still had “clear gaps”, the move represented “a very positive step in the right direction”.
She added: “It also hopefully sets a precedent for improved access for even more people in the future, something for which the charity will continue to campaign.”
