Global Financial Crisis and your access to IVF/AC?

[dusty]

Cuddlepie, it appears (from what I hear and read here) that clinics are pushing more out of pocket costs to us for drugs etc. When I started IVF everything was included in the price but it seems there are more drugs that have to be bought separately now.

Sazz, there sure does seem some big differences in prices between clinics. It isn't always that easy to shop around in rural and regional areas too or even swap FS in cities.

My big concern is that for those clinics that are owned by shareholders or private firms have to maximise their profits to benefit them. Hence potentially forcing prices up. See this article for an example.

With the Medicare safety net, clinics have been suspected of upping prices over the last few years knowing the government will pay 80% out of pocket costs above the threashold.

WLAB, I too am interested in knowing how long Medicare has funded IVF in Australia.

[sazzafrazz]

Dusty, I have no choice here in SA. It is repromed or nothing at all. My friend is accessing her stored embies in sydney, which is why the differences in prices.

You can see by my pricing in the other post that medicare did not cover 80% of the cost of our cycle. It was approximately half the total price that we recieved back. Repromed is privately owned these days.

Previous cycles involving drugs have had an all inclusive price for me except for a lab costing where semen analysis was done interstate. I havent had a stim cycle since april 07 though so things may be different here with that now too.

[buliej]

Our out-of-pocket costs may go up significantly if they take the safety net away from IVF - please see: https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...y-net-ivf.html

The government is considering making changes, one of which is excluding IVF from the safety net full stop (the other is means testing the safety net, which still would have a huge impact on the ability to afford IVF as it is so expensive).

It is so very important to express yourself to the elected officials. I read an article recently that people are used to venting online - in forums, comments to online newspapers all which has a purpose - BUT this has really been a disservice in terms of doing something that has impact because elected officials don't necessarily care about this - it's the direct letters and direct pleas that matter. I have never written a letter to a government official before, but this is just too important to say "well, others will do it" - the government needs to hear from as many people as possible. Don't think that we can't make a difference - if you go to the above thread, you will see where Dusty recalls other cuts to IVF being considered a few years ago and they weren't adopted because of the uproar - PLEASE EVERYONE, WRITE A LETTER - IT TAKES 15 MINUTES. We can't let the government take IVF out of the safety net.