[GLOBAL ECONOMIC TIMES]  Starting in November, the government will change support for infertility treatment from ‘25 sessions per infertile couple’ to ‘25 sessions per childbirth.’ The support standards have been relaxed so that infertile couples who want to have multiple children can comfortably plan their next pregnancy and childbirth. In order to actively encourage women over 45 years of age to try to conceive, it was decided to lower the out-of-pocket cost for infertility treatment from 50% to 30%.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare held the 19th Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee in 2024 on the 26th and discussed these matters. The current subfertility treatment reimbursement standard is limited to a total of 25 treatments per infertile couple (5 artificial insemination, 20 in vitro fertilization, including fresh embryos and frozen embryos), so if you have exhausted the number of treatments for your first child, there is no additional opportunity for the next pregnancy. Not provided. Accordingly, the Ministry of Health and Welfare improved the application standard from per infertility couple to per birth in order to support couples who became pregnant and gave birth to a child through infertility treatment to have a second or third child.

An official from the Ministry of Health and Welfare said, “If you want to have an additional pregnancy after giving birth to a child through infertility treatment, all support you have received will be deducted and you will be given 25 new opportunities.” “There is no chance left, so for the next pregnancy, I have to switch to in vitro fertilization, which is relatively more burdensome on my health, but with this reform, I will be able to try artificial insemination five more times,” he said.

At this meeting, the out-of-pocket rate for infertility treatment, which was differentiated based on age regardless of individual health status, was also improved. Currently, the out-of-pocket rate for female infertility treatment is 30% for those under 45 years of age and 50% for those over 45 years of age. Considering that the age of first marriage and first birth is steadily increasing, the Ministry of Health and Welfare decided to lower the out-of-pocket rate to 30% regardless of age starting in November.

We also provide continuous blood sugar monitors to help pregnant diabetic patients prevent complications and give birth to healthy babies. So far, continuous blood sugar monitors have been provided only to patients with type 1 diabetes, but this time, the scope has been expanded. The standard price for a continuous blood sugar monitor is 10,000 won per day, the same level as that for current type 1 diabetes patients. The corporation's burden rate is 70% (the next highest is 100%). This support project will also be implemented from November.

From January 2025, out-of-pocket costs for cesarean section will be waived. Currently, the out-of-pocket rate for childbirth is 0% for natural birth and 5% for cesarean section. In the past, natural childbirth accounted for a high proportion of all deliveries, but since 2019, the number of high-risk mothers has increased, and the number of cesarean deliveries has been increasing. Accordingly, the Ministry of Health and Welfare decided to eliminate the out-of-pocket burden for childbirth, regardless of delivery method, in order to support more couples.

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