A couple with infertility living in #Jongno-gu for 5 years and working together wanted to receive support for treatment costs to have a child, but the combined medical insurance premium for the couple exceeded the standard, so they were not eligible for infertility support. In the end, the wife chose to take a leave of absence to receive support for the treatment cost.
#11 year old office worker Mr. Kim (46) took a leave of absence for his pregnancy, and I wanted to focus on temporary drinking, but my husband’s income exceeded the standard median income, so I couldn’t get support. Due to the high cost of the procedure, the financial burden was so great that he was hesitant to continue trying the procedure.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 6th that it will support all infertile couples regardless of income from this month in order to reduce the financial burden of double-income couples undergoing infertility treatment. There are no restrictions on the type of treatment, so the choice is guaranteed so that a total of 22 times can be supported.
As of 2022, one out of 10 babies born each year is born through infertility treatment, and the purpose is to increase the possibility of birth by expanding support for infertile couples who want to have a child.
According to the National Statistical Office, the number of births last year was 249,000, which is half the level of 10 years ago. It is the lowest since statistics were compiled in 1970. The total fertility rate was 0.78, and among them, Seoul had the lowest at 0.59. The total fertility rate is the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime.
However, on the other hand, there are infertile couples eagerly waiting for the precious moment of birth. In 2021, about 82,000 people were officially diagnosed with infertility, and 250,000 nationwide.
An obstacle to fertility treatment is the cost of 1.5 to 4 million won per procedure. Most of the working couples were excluded from subsidies for subfertility treatment, so they had to give up or take a leave of absence.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced a plan to expand infertility support in March as a measure to solve the problem of ultra-low birth rates. Accordingly, the plan was to implement support for all infertile couples from next year, but after listening to the voices of infertile couples who urgently need support right away, they decided to expand it earlier this July.
The key to this expansion of support for infertile couples is the abolition of the income standard for support for treatment costs for infertile couples and the abolition of the limit on the number of times for each infertility procedure메이저놀이터.
First of all, by abolishing the existing income standard (median 180% or less) for treatment cost support for infertile couples, all infertile couples can receive support from 200,000 to 1.1 million won per session (self-pay).
In addition, the existing limit on the number of times for each procedure, such as fresh 10 times, freezing 7 times, and artificial insemination 5 times, will be abolished, so that infertile people can receive procedures suitable for infertility within a total of 22 times.
All infertile couples residing in Seoul can apply for support for treatment costs for infertile couples from the 1st of this month, and can receive support through procedures such as document verification. You can also apply for a common-law relationship. Application can be made online at ‘Government 24 ( www.gov.kr )’, ‘e-health center public portal ( www.e-health.go.kr )’, or by calling or visiting a public health center.
In order to expand support for infertile couples ahead of schedule, the city of Seoul has completed preliminary preparations, such as consultations on changes to the social security system with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, revision of ordinances, and securing additional budgets. An official from the city of Seoul explained, “We expect the number of cases to be supported will increase from 20,000 last year to 40,000 cases.
Park Yoo-mi, director of the Citizens’ Health Bureau of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, said, “In order to prioritize resources available to resolve the low birth rate, we expanded support for infertile couples ahead of time.”