At the age of 44, Nadia Mahfoufi finally got pregnant after numerous rounds of in vitro fertilization (IVF). But if Bill 20, tabled by Quebec Health Minister Gaétan Barrette on Nov. 28, had been enacted, Mahfoufi argues she would not be holding her six-month old baby boy in her arms today.
The provincial government is proposing a drastic cut to funding for IVF treatments, which have been heavily subsidized since 2010. If the bill is approved, the government will cover only one round of IVF treatment and artificial insemination, and only for women between the ages of 18 and 42. The province claims thechanges will save nearly $50 million a year.
In effect, these proposed cuts mean Quebec could go from being the most generous jurisdiction in terms of assisted reproduction to being one of the most restrictive. Quebec is now the only province that funds up to three rounds of IVF. Last year, Ontario agreed to fund one round of IVF per woman, but in most provinces, IVF is paid for privately.
The bill is supported by a report from Robert Salois, the province’s Health and Welfare Commissioner, which states that IVF costs exploded from about $16 million a year in 2010 to over $80 million by 2012.
Not surprisingly, Bill 20 has prompted an outcry from some patient groups and physicians.
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