Ontario's fertility funding boost extends 'needed' support to prospective parents
Baden Colt stands next to an array of medications on her dining room table, pointing out a single box of pills that clocks in at $1300.
It's just one relatively small expense in her and her husband Zane Colt's multi-year journey to grow their family.
"This all adds up very, very quickly," Baden said.
Now partway through their third round of in-vitro fertilization, or IVF, Zane estimates they've spent between 50 and 60 thousand dollars of their own money on fertility treatments.
"The hardest part is mental," Baden said. "It's knowing that there's not a guarantee."
The Colts are welcoming the news that the Ontario government is putting up money to bring more clinics into the Ontario Fertility Program, and funding a tax credit that will provide up to $5000 annually for fertility expenses, announced on Wednesday.
"The tax credit gives us a little additional support, which is so needed," said Zane.
Some patients wait 3 years for treatment, says advocate
Renee Higgins, who serves alongside Zane Colt on the board of Conceivable Dreams, a fertility patient advocacy nonprofit, has had a long fertility journey as well.
Higgins, who lives in the Sudbury area, has gone through seven rounds of IVF — all without the benefit of a nearby fertility clinic to visit for treatment.
"I had to drive over four hours to get to my fertility clinic a few times a week, for many years," she said.
WATCH | How far do some Canadians travel for fertility treatments?:
$100K and epic drives: The harsh reality of IVF access in Canada
1 year ago
Duration 13:07
Northern Ontario currently has no fertility clinics, but Higgins is hoping this latest announcement changes that and "inspires some new ones to set up" in the region.
There are currently 50 clinics that offer government-funded fertility treatments in the province. Ontario is currently taking applications from both new and existing clinics to introduce or expand their options for prospective parents.
Higgins says that more clinics in the province could also reduce how long patients have to wait before they get treatment.
"Currently, we have very long wait times… we're seeing patients waiting 18 months, two years, three years in some instances," said Higgins.
Fertility as 'essential healthcare'
At present, Ontario's healthcare plan pays for one cycle of IVF, plus an additional cycle for anyone acting as a surrogate — but doesn't cover the testing and medications that are used during the process.
It also covers artificial insemination, intra-uterine insemination, and freezing sperm or egg samples for people with a medical reason, such as someone who is undergoing a medical treatment that could cause infertility.
According to Dr. Paul Chang at TRIO, a chain of GTA fertility clinics, about 28,000 people in Canada went through an IVF cycle last year, with the average wait time in Ontario ranging between 10 months and a year.
Carolynn Dubé, executive director of advocacy organization Fertility Matters, says she's pleased to see provinces like Ontario improving their coverage for fertility treatments — though she notes that in Alberta, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, no program exists at all.
"The gold standard would be for fertility to be recognized as essential healthcare in this country," she told CBC Toronto.
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