Up to 1.1 Million Won in Medical Expense Support for Involuntary Discontinuation of Infertility Treatment for Couples
Gyeonggi Province announced on the 4th that it would expand support for infertility treatment costs from the existing 25 times per couple to 25 times per child. Additionally, they introduced a policy to support medical expenses of up to 1.1 million won in cases of involuntary discontinuation of infertility treatment.
According to the province, changing the support from “25 times per couple” to “25 times per child” means that even if a couple receives the maximum support of 25 times for their first child through infertility treatment, they can receive an additional 25 times each for their second and third children.
Furthermore, Gyeonggi Province has been supporting medical expenses without a limit on the number of times, providing 500,000 won per instance even if infertility treatment is discontinued. Starting in November, when treatment is involuntarily discontinued for medical reasons, support will be increased to a maximum of 1.1 million won.
The additional 1.1 million won includes up to an extra 600,000 won (90% of the total out-of-pocket expenses) on top of the existing maximum of 500,000 won per treatment discontinuation. Consultation and support applications can be made at the health center governing the couple’s residence.
As part of efforts to address low birth rates, Gyeonggi Province supports treatment costs for IVF and artificial insemination through the “Infertility Treatment Cost Support Program.” They removed income criteria last July and residence period requirements in January this year. In February, they expanded the maximum number of support instances to 25 and abolished age-based differential support in June, continuously broadening the scope of support.
As of 2023, the number of births supported under the infertility treatment cost support program in Gyeonggi Province was 7,751 cases, rising to 9,075 when including twins and multiple births. This accounts for 12.9% of the total births in Gyeonggi Province last year (70,541), meaning approximately 1 in 7.7 births was assisted through infertility treatment.
Yoo Young-chul, head of Gyeonggi Province’s Health and Welfare Department, expressed hope that the expansion of infertility treatment support would provide substantial help to couples wishing to conceive, and affirmed ongoing efforts to alleviate the burdens of families facing infertility and to tackle low birth rates.