A UK broker has set up the country's first insurance agency for couples undergoing IVF (in vitro fertilisation) and other forms of assisted reproduction. Anja Ruppert, of Recover, believes that insurance cover will take a lot of the stress out of a pregnancy resulting from IVF. 'A couple who take out this kind of insurance will at least have the funds to try again should the worst happen' she told the Times newspaper.
IVF treatment in the UK costs between £1500-£3000 per attempt, and the majority of couples do not receive any funding from their local health authority. The new policy offers cover that starts as soon as a scan confirms the presence of a healthy foetus, but excludes women over 40, and those who have had more than two previous miscarriages. Peter Brinsden, director of the Bourn Hall private infertility clinic, welcomes the policy, but says he looks forward to the day when such insurance is the norm.
Meanwhile, fertility expert Lord Robert Winston has again attacked the UK government for refusing to fund and support fertility services. 'The failure to recognise the need for family health in a country which pays lip service to the family is frankly scandalous' he told delegates at a conference on women's health last week.
Sources and References
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Winston renews government attack
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Cover for the gift of life
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