Update on budget cuts to IVF

Roobie · 05-01-2005, 04:30 AM

Please read below from Sandra Dill.

From: ACCESS

Dear ACCESS Friends

The next three days are crucial!

There is an encouraging admission in today’s SMH story (see below). We
understand that Cabinet will meet on Tuesday so IT IS VITAL to have more
letters to MPs and especially those listed below. Would you fax any letters
you may have sent to your MP, to the Chief Govt Whip, Kerry Bartlett (see
fax number below). As the email listing has grown we have attached the key
messages document and MPs contacts.

Letters to the editors will be essential to keep the story in public view
and politician’s minds. Email addresses for major papers appear below the
MPs addresses.

If anyone who receives this lives in the Sydney Northern Beaches, is
currently on IVF treatment (not necessarily a current cycle) and is willing
to be interviewed By the Manly Daily please call me on 0419 09 690 TODAY.
They are keen to do a sympathetic story .

Our fax machine has been running hot with hundreds of letters from people cc
their MP letter. We have received more than 200 emails every day from
people copying letters and photos they have sent to MPs. One cute one is
attached, with permission from the writer’s parents. We’ve sent this also
with their permission to all pollies.

If you have a child on IVF it would be great if they could write or send a
drawing by fax to your local MP and cc to Kerry Bartlett and Senator Coonan
(see below). Would you fax also to ACCESS pls?

The most important thing I can say to you today is that YOU and your family
members and friends are key to persuading the government to change its mind
about proposed plans to cut the number of Medicare reimbursed cycles.

We cannot succeed without you.

We can be your voice to govt through media attention to the issue but that
is not effective without your human face to make it real.

Thank you sincerely for taking the time to share your personal hopes, joys
and pains by writing newspapers and MPs to persuade the government to act
and to those those who have been willing to tell your story to the media.

Let’s see what we can achieve together before Cabinet meets on Tuesday
morning!

Warm regards and appreciation
Sandra K Dill AM
Chief Executive Officer
ACCESS Australia Infertility Network
Box 959
Parramatta NSW 2124
Australia

+61 (0) 2 9670 2380
Fax: +61 (0) 2 9670 2608
0419 019 690
E.mail: sandra.d@access.org.au
www.access.org.au

Abbott admits advice wrong
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,15128730-2,00.html

Key MPs to fax

The Hon John Howard MP
Fax: 02 9816 1349

Mr. Kerry Bartlett, MP – Chief Govt Whip
Kerry.Bartlett.mp@aph.gov.au
Phone: 02-4751-7494
Fax: 02-4751-7495

If you had the opportunity individually addressed (same) emails to these
others would also help:

Senator Helen Coonan (NSW)
senator.coonan@aph.gov.au
Tel: (02) 6277 7480
Fax: (02) 6273 4154

Senator Marise Payne (NSW)
Tel: (02) 6277 3810
Fax: (02) 6277 3811
Email: senator.payne@aph.gov.au

Senator, the Hon Judith Troeth (Vic)
Tel: (03) 9593 9511
Fax: 03 9593 9971
senator.troeth@aph.gov.au

NEWSPAPER LETTERS CONTACTS:

The Australian
letters@theaustralian.com.au

The Age
letters@theage.fairfax.com.au

Sydney Morning Herald
letters@smh.fairfax.com.au

Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
letters@dailytelegraph.com.au

The Courier-Mail (Brisbane)
cmletters@qnp.newsltd.com.au

Herald Sun (Melbourne)
hsletters@heraldsun.com.au

Advertiser (Adelaide)
advedit@adv.newsltd.com.au

Mercury (Hobart)
mercuryedletter@dbl.newsltd.com.au

Thanks.

wombat woman · 05-01-2005, 11:58 PM

Thanks for keeping us informed roobie.

Karen

Roobie · 05-03-2005, 12:26 PM

Thanks Karen. (Funny, a wombat talking to a Kangaroo)

I read this letter by a pcos sufferer in the Age, (I don't know her) but I thought it summed up why there is a real need for pcos women to support this campaign. This could happen to any of us, or to one of our cysters, or any infertile person, whatever the reason.
The heartbreak of not being able to conceive
April 26, 2005

Dear Prime Minister, Mr Costello and Mr Abbott,

I am an infertile woman, through polycystic ovarian syndrome. My husband and I started trying to conceive in 1996 when I was 25. We didn't have our first son until I was 31, and we had twins 16 weeks ago. We had our children over 11 in vitro fertilisation cycles.

It was the most gruelling experience of my life; when I suffered a near-breakdown after our eighth attempt, a counsellor told me that eight IVF attempts were the same, emotionally, as eight miscarriages, except they were less recognised in society.

We are already a marginalised group; please don't add more obstacles and heartache to our lives by imposing limits. It has to be done when we are financially and emotionally ready. If that means five attempts in one year or one, please let that be our decision. We paid more than $35,000 to have our children, and that does not include the government subsidy. We sacrificed and suffered immeasurably. It was worth every second of pain, but I would not wish this journey on any one. Please don't make it harder.

Infertility is not a choice - it is a medical condition that can be treated by IVF. Why is the Government willing to discriminate against families who need medical assistance by considering restricting affordable access to treatment, while supporting fertile coupleswith the $3000 baby bonus to have their families? Restricting access to three Medicare-reimbursed cycles each year will compromise success rates, cause immense financial hardship and make IVF affordable for rich families only.

What happened to the Government's stated commitment to relieve the financial pressures on low and middle-income families bringing up children? Is the Government serious about Australia's declining birthrate or are moral values being imposed on women? Limiting cycles to three per year and three only for women over the age of 42 is unfair and heartbreaking.

We are so, so lucky to have our three beautiful children. Please don't limit other people's opportunity for the same. Please don't discriminate against a group who desperately want to be parents and who are prepared to suffer and sacrifice to do so. They already have their hearts broken every day.
KCB, Viewbank

Roobie · 05-03-2005, 12:54 PM

The AMA says the Government is basing their budget cuts to ivf rebates on incorrect figures.

PM f irm on IVF advice
Jason Frenkel
03may05 Herald Sun

A ROW over IVF success rates intensified yesterday when Prime Minister John Howard repeated figures described as dodgy and misleading by health specialists.

Mr Howard used the same statistic yesterday that Treasurer Peter Costello was chastised for using by IVF specialists over the weekend.
"We in the end will be guided by medical advice," Mr Howard said.

"And that medical advice at this stage indicated that over the age of 42 the prospects of success are very low," Mr Howard told ABC radio.

Expected cuts to Medicare support for infertile couples in next week's Budget would restrict women aged under 42 to three taxpayer-funded treatments a year.

Women over 42 would be allowed just three in total.

But the figures used by senior government ministers to support IVF cuts have angered top doctors and infertility specialists.
The Australian Medical Association and IVF experts last night wrote to Mr Howard in a bid to end the confusion.

"We have argued throughout this debate that the information being received from the Health Department was incomplete," the letter said.

Health Minister Tony Abbott distanced himself over the weekend from the disputed claim that women aged over 42 only have a 2 per cent chance of IVF success.

The IVF Directors Group said the claim was "without expertise" while the National Association of Specialist Gynaecologists and Obstetricians said it was "just plain wrong".

AMA president Bill Glasson said the Government was dressing up administrative statistics and passing them off as medical advice.

"It's a bureaucratic bean count, not a clinical analysis," he said.

Mr Howard yesterday appeared to soften his stance on the cuts, saying he was sensitive to such an emotional issue.

He said a final decision had not been made and the Government was still taking medical advice.

"There has been a variety of advice that has come through and in the end we will analyse it all and we will be guided by that," he said.

"When it comes to budget matters, no government's mind is made up until the Treasurer gets up and actually delivers the budget speech."

Mr Howard said he understood it was an emotional issue.

"I am sensitive to that, very sensitive indeed. I want to take the right decision," he said.

Roobie · 05-03-2005, 12:56 PM

Labor Party Petition:

The Labor Party has organised a petition to be tabled. If you would like to sign it, or get others to sign it, please email your local Labor MP to obtain a copy.

You don't have to need IVF yourself to support the campaign.

Emails to both Liberal & Labor politicians asking the Government to reconsider placing limits on the number of cycles that attract a rebate are still needed. A decision to restrict rebates for treatment that's considered non-essential possibly has huge implications for all medical care. Both the costs of a cycle, and the statistics being presented by the Government have been shown to be incorrect.

Please disregard if you are not interested in the campaign, it's ok if it's not your thing, thanks for reading.

Roobie · 06-05-2005, 11:45 AM

Yeah its me again, cr@pping on about the same old thing

sorry!
For those that were interested to know what happened, the proposed cuts were shelved for the budget announcement, and will instead now go under review.
(The info below explains the next stage of the process, note the oxymoron with the statement "The government will undertake an independent review")

"Government announces clinical review of IVF

The Australian Government is to review the costs and benefits of assisted reproductive technologies for the purposes of public funding under Medicare. The terms of reference for the review and the members will be announced shortly.

10 May 2005
ABB48/05

Australian couples have been benefiting from Medicare subsidies for assisted reproductive technologies (also known as IVF) for almost 15 years.

Since Medicare began funding IVF, expenditure has grown from $25.6 million in calendar year 1991, to $50.0 million in 2003 and $78.6 million in 2004. There have also been significant changes in clinical practice over the same period.

The government considers that it is now timely to review the costs and benefits of assisted reproductive technologies for the purposes of public funding under Medicare.

The government will undertake an independent review of the clinical effectiveness of assisted reproductive technologies. The terms of reference for the review and the members will be announced shortly.

The review will not consider the regulation of assisted reproductive technology as this is a state and territory responsibility. "

source:
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/Content/health-mediarel-yr2005-ta-abb048.htm

Sapphire Spirit · 06-07-2005, 11:15 PM

You aren't raving on at all Rhon ..........you are keeping us well informed and I really appreciate it

!!!
Thanks.

LeeDawson · 06-08-2005, 01:52 AM

that sucks

Caz4Alex · 06-08-2005, 03:43 AM

Geez i hope i wont need ivf or i'm really up the creek then