What IVF costs are covered by private health insurance?

Monash IVF offers some of the best fertility treatment in the world. In our clinics, we’re focused on expertise, care and communication. We understand that for some people thinking about trying for a baby and finding clear information about the financial costs of fertility treatment can be daunting.

Our fertility specialists are dedicated to helping you make informed, empowered decisions to minimise your out-of-pocket (after rebates) expenses and make sure you don’t come across any hidden costs when accessing IVF treatment. Thankfully, in Australia there is financial support available to families who are trying for a baby of their own. In this article, we talk about what role private health insurance can play in covering your IVF costs.

How much does IVF cost?

IVF costs depend on which treatments you need. So, for example, it will depend on how many IVF cycles you complete, or if you need intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) or whether you choose to store eggs or sperm. Here’s the important thing to remember—you’re always going to know these costs from the very beginning of your fertility journey. Monash IVF’s fees are easy to access from our website, and our team of dedicated fertility experts are always available to chat with you about your options.

Here are the current out-of-pocket fertility treatment costs at Monash IVF:

• Initial IVF Cycle: $4846
• Subsequent IVF Cycle after Medicare Safety Net: $4281
• Initial IVF w/ ICSI Cycle: $5,345
• Subsequent IVF w/ ICSI after Medicare Safety Net: $4,780
• IUI Cycle: $1,100
• Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET): $2,196

This includes all doctor visits, scans, and egg transfers. It does not include the cost of day surgery, anaesthetics, and drugs.

Other costs to factor in when accessing assisted reproductive services are:

• appointments with specialists
• counselling services
• IVF medication
• genetic screening tests
• donor costs
  

Before any rebates, average fertility treatment services can range between $9000 (for a single IVF cycle) to $14000 (if you use a frozen embryo and need ICSI treatment for male infertility).

Should I get private healthcare?

There are a lot of different financial supports that reduce the costs of fertility treatment. You definitely don’t need private health insurance to do in vitro fertilisation or other fertility treatments. The good news is that Medicare will cover a big portion of your fertility treatment (more information about Medicare rebates, and especially about rebates after reaching the Medicare Safety Net threshold, is available here).

However, private healthcare can be good for reducing some of your out-of-pocket expenses. Some of the IVF costs which aren’t covered by Medicare are covered by private health insurance. EPU and ET are covered, for example, but hospital fees and anaesthetics are not. Private healthcare should partially cover some of your out-of-pocket costs if you are being treated as an inpatient in the private hospitals that IVF clinics use. However, each provider is going to offer different policies for different levels of cover—give them a call or check their specific policies for exact rates and waiting times.

Get in touch

Trying for a new baby is an incredibly exciting time in your life. We understand that the last thing you need is financial uncertainty.

If you’ve got questions, Monash IVF offers free nurse chats. We’re here to discuss all the ins and outs of rebates, funds and thresholds with you. From the very start, you’ll be informed and in control of the cost of your IVF treatment. This way, you can focus on what matters – staying healthy, happy and present for your family.