Wonderful news on NSW Government support available for Westmead Fertility Centre patients!
Continued access to lower cost / affordable treatment
Since 1 January 2020, Westmead Fertility Centre has been part of the NSW Government’s Affordable IVF Initiative offering lower cost fertility treatment, where:
- An IVF cycle is only $1,000 out of pocket. This includes all cycle fees, day surgery expenses, embryo freezing (if applicable) and 3 months of cryostorage.
- A Frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycle is only $765 out of pocket. This includes all cycle fees and procedure expenses.
This continues to be available to patients at Westmead Fertility Centre.
New $2,000 rebate for fertility treatment
From 1 October 2022, the NSW Government has introduced a new one off $2,000 Rebate for patients having fertility treatment, where that treatment is not already supported by the lower cost Affordable IVF initiative.
The eligibility criteria (as of 1 October 2022) include:
- You must be a resident of NSW.
- Fertility treatment is as defined by the ART Act (2007).
- Fertility treatment is undertaken from 1 October 2022 in an accredited private fertility clinic (like Westmead Fertility Centre).
- You can claim the $2000 rebate once only.
- You will need to provide the required information and documents, including proof of out-of-pocket costs.
- You cannot claim for the sole purpose of fertility preservation.
- You cannot claim for out-of-pocket costs associated with publicly supported lower cost IVF treatment.
As outlined in the last point – if you are a patient with Westmead Fertility Centre you will be eligible to claim the one-off $2,000 NSW Government rebate if your out-of-pocket costs are NOT associated with our Affordable IVF treatment. That is, you cannot claim the $2,000 Rebate on treatment that is already generously supported by funding from the NSW Government. You must choose either stream of support.
Choose the support that is right for you
From October 2022, you can access the stream of support from the NSW Government that is right for you at each stage of your fertility journey at Westmead Fertility Centre. And you can change from one option to the other on your journey – you just cannot claim both streams of support for the same fertility treatment cycle. At the start of each cycle, you will be asked to choose either:
A. ‘Affordable’ – using our current, everyday low prices made possible with support from the NSW Government (ie ‘publicly supported’ lower cost pricing). You pay an upfront fee of only $1,000 for IVF or $765 for an FET cycle. These out-of-pocket costs are not eligible to claim the $2,000 rebate.
B. ‘$2,000 Fertility Rebate eligible’ – using a pricing model that is not already supported by the NSW Government (ie ‘self-pay’ pricing). Depending on your Medicare status and where you are in your journey, you pay a higher upfront fee of between $2,350 – $2,768 for an IVF cycle or $942 for an FET cycle. Other cycle types are also eligible. You can then submit a claim for up to $2,000 of these expenses to Service NSW from 1 January 2023. The rebate is available only once per patient but can be used for any cycle type and over more than one cycle, to a maximum out of pocket of $2,000.
The NSW Government has pledged the $2,000 Fertility Rebate is available for the first 12,000 eligible applicants across NSW to make a claim with Service NSW. Given that this Rebate is offered by NSW Government (and not Westmead Fertility Centre), Westmead Fertility Centre cannot warrant that your Rebate will be paid by Service NSW. This should be considered when making your decision.
Fertility treatment is a journey – often requiring more than one cycle
It’s important to consider from the outset that your first cycle of fertility treatment may be the initial step in a longer journey, which will generally require more than one round of treatment. Research conducted by the National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit shows most women who go through IVF, regardless of their age, do not have a baby after one cycle. A 36-37 year old woman has a 32% chance after one cycle, a 44% chance after two cycles, and a 50% chance of taking home a baby after three cycles of IVF. We encourage our patients to consider treatment as a journey when planning their financial arrangements.
At Westmead Fertility Centre, we are pleased to offer access to some of the top success rates in the state – at an affordable price – as we support you on this journey. And we can let you choose the NSW Government funding option that is best for your individual financial situation at each step. Contact our team today to get started.
Contact our team
Our team is here to assist you on your journey.
Contact us for more information.
For more information
More information on the Affordable IVF Initiative can be found here.
UPDATED: JULY 12 2023
