Public financial support for fertility treatment reaches record high

TOKYO, Aug. 29 Kyodo -
The government provided public financial support for fertility treatment to a
record 72,000 cases in total in fiscal 2008 through last March, up 20 percent
from the previous fiscal year, the health ministry said Saturday.
The total amount of support came to around 7.2 billion yen in the reporting
year, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
It is believed that the number of those who apply for the support is increasing
at a time more than 500,000 couples suffer infertility, but they could receive
the support only twice a year under certain income limitations.
Given these circumstances, experts said they believe more than half of the
infertile couples have received no support.
While medical expenses for infertility stand at around 300,000 yen on average,
one-time support is 100,000 yen, so the recipients need to pay 200,000 yen
themselves.
Medical insurance covers some of the drug treatments, but all of the expenses
of in vitro fertilization are imposed on the couples.
As the success rate of external fertilization is at around only 15 percent,
many infertile couples undergo the procedures several times a year.
The Democratic Party of Japan said it will consider covering the fertility
treatment costs by medical insurance to lower the burden of those suffering
infertility, but the main opposition has shown no firm ideas on how to finance
it.
==Kyodo