Original title:
Zhongxin Health | Another official announcement: IVF expenses can be reimbursed by medical insurance
BEIJING, May 23 (Shao Meng) For many infertile patients, assisted reproduction is the main way to fulfill their dream of giving birth, but the high cost has discouraged some families. However, this difficult problem is gradually being solved.
Recently, the Shanghai Medical Insurance Bureau and other departments jointly issued the Notice on Including Some Therapeutic Assisted Reproductive Technology Projects in the Payment Scope of Medical Insurance and Industrial Injury Insurance, announcing that since June 1 this year, 12 assisted reproductive medical services will be included in the payment scope of medical insurance, including ovum retrieval, artificial insemination, etc.
China Singapore Health noted that since 2023, many places have announced that some assisted reproduction projects will be included in the medical insurance payment, including Beijing, Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Xinjiang, Shandong and Jiangxi. The medical insurance departments in Hunan, Zhejiang and other places also mentioned that the next step will gradually explore the inclusion of common assisted reproductive technology projects into the medical insurance reimbursement scope.
Prior to that, there were constant calls for the inclusion of assisted reproductive technology in medical insurance, and the relevant departments also made several statements. In August 2022, 17 departments including the National Health Commission and the National Health Insurance Bureau issued the Guiding Opinions on Further Improving and Implementing Active Fertility Support Measures, which proposed to guide local governments to comprehensively consider the affordability of medical insurance (including maternity insurance) funds, relevant technical norms and other factors, and gradually include appropriate labor analgesia and assisted reproductive technology projects into the fund payment scope.
In February 2023, the National Health Insurance Bureau announced the reply letter on the proposal to include infertility treatment in the free medical treatment, which mentioned that appropriate childbirth analgesia and assisted reproductive technology projects would be gradually included in the fund payment scope according to the procedures.
According to media reports, on February 29, Zhang Ke, director of the National Health Insurance Bureau, said when investigating the Beijing Maternity Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University that he would continue to guide relevant provinces to further improve the establishment of assisted reproductive medical services and the management of medical insurance payment, strengthen departmental coordination, and promote the connection between basic medical insurance, maternity insurance and related economic and social policies, And jointly promote long-term balanced population development.
Jiang Quanbao, a professor of the Institute of Population and Development of Xi'an Jiaotong University, said in an interview with Sino Singapore Health that the inclusion of assisted reproductive technology projects in medical insurance is a specific measure to implement the positive fertility policy and build a fertility friendly society. According to relevant documents, assisted reproductive technology projects are expected to be gradually included in the scope of fund payment. However, it is worth considering how to implement the plan. Each region may need to take measures according to local and time conditions according to the affordability of the medical insurance fund, and also consider the payment standard, reimbursement ratio and sharing mechanism of the medical insurance fund. In addition, it also involves cross regional medical treatment and other issues.
