Public Funding of and Access to In Vitro Fertilization

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 368; no. 20; pp. 1948 - 1949
• Main Authors: Tulandi, Togas, King, Leonora, Zelkowitz, Phyllis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Massachusetts Medical Society 16.05.2013
• Subjects: Adult; European Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data; Female; Fertility; Fertilization in Vitro - economics; Fertilization in Vitro - statistics & numerical data; Fertilization in Vitro - utilization; Financing, Government; Funding; Health Services Accessibility - economics; Humans; In vitro fertilization; Income; Infertility; Male; Public health; Public policy; Quebec; Reproductive technologies; Womens health; Quebec; Canada; Montreal Quebec Canada; United States > US; North America; Quebec Canada
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc1213687

A public health policy in Quebec, Canada, that provided funding for in vitro fertilization resulted in broader access to the procedure in a more diverse population. To the Editor: Government funding of assisted reproductive technology, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), is common in many developed countries, but not in North America, despite the high direct cost to patients, at up to 25% of their annual income. 1 U.S. studies have shown that even when patients have access to public funding for assisted-reproductive-technology services, socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic barriers to fertility treatment continue to exist. Generally, as compared with women who have not sought treatment for infertility, women who receive treatment with assisted reproductive technology tend to be older, wealthier, and more educated, and they tend to be . . .