Government Co-funding for Assisted Reproduction

The Singapore Government has tried ways and means to increase Singapore's Total Fertility Rate by trying to defray the costs of having a baby from giving out Baby Bonuses to Tax Reliefs and Rebate for parents.

Couples seeking help to conceive can apply for government co-funding under the Enhanced Co-funding for Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) at Restructured Hospitals Scheme. 

The scheme provides co-funding for up to 75% of the cost of their ART treatment for a maximum of 3 fresh and 3 frozen ART cycles taken at public hospitals. This covers costly ART treatments procedures such as in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) with or without intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICIS) and gamete intra-fallopian transfer (GIFT). The scheme does not cover Assisted Conception Procedures (ACP) such as intra-uterine insemination (IUI). IUI treatments are relatively less costly, often less than $1,000 per treatment whereas an IVF Fresh Cycle treatment can range from $10,000 to $14,000 depending on the amount of stimulation medication required.

You can use up to $6,000 of your Medisave to defray both ACP expenses and ART bills (after co-funding).

Tip

Couples with children can also benefit from this scheme.

What are Fresh and Frozen ART Cycles?

Fresh ART Cycle	Frozen ART Cycle
Woman receives ovarian stimulation  Eggs are retrieved from ovaries and fertilised in lab to form embryos  Embryos are transferred to the uterus shortly  Note: You can freeze excess embryos for later use	Frozen embryos (excess embryos from a previous fresh ART cycle) are retrieved from storage  Frozen embryos are thawed and transferred to the uterus at an appropriate time

What does the Co-fund ART Scheme Cover?

Covered	Not Covered
Ovarian stimulation  Egg retrieval  Assisted fertilisation  Embryo transfer Freezing of embryos  Storage of frozen embryos for up to 10 years  Thawing of frozen embryos  Other standard ART procedures for both men and women  Note: You can freeze excess embryos for later use	Initial medical consultations and investigations (for treatment suitability)  Consumed ART treatments if you abort the cycle after ovarian stimulation unless the early termination is due to medical reasons as advised by the doctor

How much co-funding can I receive?

The scheme provides co-funding for each couple for a maximum of 3 fresh and 3 frozen ART cycles. The amount of co-funding you are entitled to depends on you and your partner's nationalities. At least one of you must be a Singapore Citizen to enjoy the scheme.

	SC-SC Couple*	SC-PR Couple*	SC-Foreigner Couple*
Per Fresh Cycle	75% ($6300 max)	55% ($4600 max)	35% ($3000 max)
Per Frozen Cycle	75% ($1200 max)	55% ($900 max)	35% ($600 max)

* SC – Singapore Citizen, PR – Permanent Resident

 

Tips

You can use your Medisave to offset remaining costs. Withdrawal limits are set at $6000 (for 1st cycle), $5000 (for 2nd cycle) and $4000 (for 3rd and subsequent cycle), up to a lifetime cap of $15000. These limits also apply to ACP.

Am I Eligible?

To qualify for the scheme, you must:

• Be under age 40 (for women) at the point of embryo transfer 
• Have started or are scheduled to start a treatment cycle at participating public hospitals on or after 1 January 2013, i.e. the date of ovarian simulation (for fresh cycles) or the thawing of the embryo (for frozen cycle) is on or after 1 January 2013. 
• The treatment is either a fresh or frozen ART cycle 
• Be a Singapore Citizen if your spouse is not at the start of the cycle 
• Have not already received co-funding for 3 fresh and 3 frozen cycles in the past 
• Be deemed fit for ART treatments by a medical doctor 

How Do I Apply?

No application is needed. You are only required to complete a declaration form to confirm your eligibility. The form is available at the assisted reproductive clinic of participating public hospitals.

Once the verified eligible, the subsidies will automatically apply to your hospital bill.

Participating Public Hospitals

• National University Hospital (NUH) - Clinic for Human Reproduction
• Singapore General Hospital (SGH) - Centre for Assisted Reproduction
• KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) - KKIVF Centre

 For more details, please refer to the Ministry of Health website.

As a result of the co-funding given by the government, many gynaecologists from the private hospitals often advise patients who are Singapore Citizens and need to have ART treatments to transfer to one of the participating public hospitals in order to enjoy this benefit.  

As Singaporeans tend to marry late these days, by the time they decide to start a family and discover that they need treatment to conceive, they may be their mid-30s already. My advice is : Do start early if you can!