Infertile couples will receive support for treatment costs nationwide, regardless of their income level, starting from January 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 17 (Korea Bizwire) – Infertile couples will receive support for treatment costs nationwide, regardless of their income level, starting from January 2024.
Currently, only a few financially affluent municipal governments, including Seoul, provide support for infertility treatment costs regardless of the couple’s income level. Starting next year, however, this support will be expanded nationwide.
Infertility refers to a condition in which couples face difficulties achieving pregnancy despite maintaining a normal marital relationship for more than a year without using contraception.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Monday, the income level criterion for treatment cost support for infertile couples will be removed from January 2024, enabling such couples to receive support for treatment costs nationwide, regardless of income level.
Presently, most municipal governments limit support to those with incomes below 180 percent of the median income, or beneficiaries of national basic livelihood security, and those near the poverty line. As a result, a significant number of dual-income couples are ineligible for this support.
The Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission analyzed complaints related to the health rights of prospective parents filed through the government’s citizen petition information analysis system from January 2020 to April 2023.
This analysis revealed that the demand for an expansion of support for infertility treatment was the highest.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
