An Australian-first IVF rebate designed to boost falling fertility rates will be significantly scaled back, allowing only the lowest-paid workers in NSW to access the $2000 payment.
The change will mean couples earning a household income of more than $116,000 will be ineligible for the state-funded rebate from February, prompting concerns that fewer people will be able to access costly IVF procedures.
The IVF subsidy was a key announcement in the former Coalition government’s “women-focused” 2022 budget. About $24 million was provided to allow 12,000 women to access the rebate, which was the first of its kind.
Tamara and daughter Eva enjoy first birthday celebrations.
The fund was exhausted in just two years.
Single mother Tamara spent $50,000 on four cycles of IVF before falling pregnant with her daughter, Eva. Tamara used all her savings trying for a much-wanted baby, but would not be eligible for the revised rebate because of her income.
“I am a middle-income earner, but I am not flush with cash and $2000 is really helpful thing to get when you are going through the financial and emotional pressure of IVF,” Tamara, whose surname was withheld for her privacy, said.
The Coalition had committed to evaluate the program after two years.
Instead, NSW Labor on Thursday confirmed it would provide $52.2 million over four years to continue the rebate, but introduce means-testing from mid-February 2025 “to ensure the ongoing rebates are available to those most in need of the support”.
Applicants will be eligible if they receive Family Tax Benefit, hold a health care card or have an annual household income of $116,000 or less.
Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said this was “the equivalent of $58,000 per person – about $20,000 less than the starting salary of a teacher”.
Opposition health spokesperson Kellie Sloane said IVF would “still be out of reach for thousands” under the new criteria.
Monash IVF Sydney clinical director Katrina Rowan noted fertility rates were at an all-time low of 1.5 children per woman.
“NSW has really led the way with this rebate and the fact that so many people have claimed it since January last year demonstrates why it’s needed,” Rowan said.
IVF Australia medical director Frank Quinn said cost-of-living pressures presented the biggest challenge for patients.
“It seems counterproductive to limit access to the rebate at a time when Australia’s birth rate has dropped to an all-time low,” he said.
“We believe means-testing this rebate represents a significant step backwards for reproductive health in NSW. For some patients, losing access to the rebate will delay their fertility treatment and add more stress to an often already difficult fertility journey.”
Genea Fertility chief executive Tim Yeoh strongly advocated for the removal of means-testing, describing the change as a “hit to middle-class Australians at a time when households are already struggling to make ends meet”.
A spokesman for Health Minister Ryan Park said the government would monitor uptake of the rebate.
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