[Anchor Lead]
For Korean couples struggling to start a family, help is on the way. The government will provide health insurance for infertility treatment to alleviate the financial burden couples face when trying to have a child.
[Pkg]
Some 215,000 people in Korea are infertile. Two out of every three people diagnosed with infertility either do not receive any treatment or have suspended it. One of the reasons is the high cost of infertility treatment.
[Soundbite] Former Infertility Patient(Voice altered) : "It cost me around 1,200 dollars to receive artificial insemination and about 4,000 dollars for each in-vitro fertilization. So in all it cost me 17,000 dollars."
Until recently, the government had provided subsidies only to a limited number of infertile couples based on household income. But the subsidies did not cover even half of the infertility treatment costs, which may range from as little as 1,500 dollars to as much as six thousand dollars and even more. The Health Ministry has decided to provide health insurance coverage for infertility exams and treatment starting next year.
[Soundbite] Yoon Tae-ki(Director, CHA Gangnam Fertility Center) : "So far working couples were not entitled to subsidies because of their high incomes, but they will hopefully receive benefits once infertility treatment is covered by health insurance."
The government also plans to include liver ultrasound exams into the list of medical procedures covered by the national health insurance.
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