SOME couples in need of financial support for IVF treatment will lose out under new eligibility criteria proposed by Health, a backbencher has warned.
Deputy Lucy Stephenson, who has personal experience with infertility and is a founding governor of the fertility support charity Tiny Seeds, acknowledged that the changes, which are due to be debated by States Members in November, represent a “step in the right direction”.
But she said that some couples, including those with secondary infertility (Islanders who already have a child or children), would not be eligible.
If approved in the Assembly as part of the Government Plan debate, the new criteria would replace the current system, which funds IVF only for couples with a combined income of less than £40,795.
Under the 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.”
The criteria also includes the requirement for the couple to be in a stable relationship, and for both partners to be childless – including children from previous relationships.
The move follows a proposition to improve IVF funding, which was lodged by Deputy Stephenson earlier this year and amended by Health Minister Tom Binet.
In a statement issued yesterday, Deputy Stephenson said the changes would “make a meaningful difference to the affordability of IVF treatment for many Islanders”.
However, she added: “I am concerned that the changes will see some Islanders who had previously had access to drug funding for IVF cycles removed altogether if they do not qualify under the new criteria, for example those suffering from secondary infertility (so they already have a child or children).
“I would like to see this addressed with future policy improvements.”
