The dream of having children that thousands of infertile Quebecers have is caught up in the conflict between private fertility clinics and the government. The free fertility services adopted in November raised a wave of hope, now disappointed because of a dispute whose patients are paying the price.
The Caquista government put in vitro fertilization back into the fold of the public coverage scheme on November 15, six years after the interruption of a similar program in 2015.
“With this law, we want to facilitate access to services for many Quebec families”, then affirmed the project manager, Minister Lionel Carmant.
The success of this public program depends in large part on private fertility clinics, to which 70% of infertile patients now turn to start a family.
However, these clinics interrupt their services one after another, denouncing a lack of consultations and a coverage that reimburses them so little that it forces them into bankruptcy.
In a brief submitted to a parliamentary committee in December 2020, Clinique Fertilys estimated the total cost of an in vitro fertilization performed in its clinics at $ 8,150. In its regulatory impact analysis, the government estimates the average cost of an in vitro treatment at $ 6,000.
The conflict escalates without a settlement in sight. The Association des fertologues du Québec (AFQ) has publicly and three times asked to meet with Minister Carmant. An end of inadmissibility has so far welcomed the AFQ, the government assuring to have met the association “before and after the implementation of the program”.Have
At the heart of the dispute is the amount reimbursed by the government for in vitro fertilization. Private fertility clinics consider them undervalued. The Minister for Health and Social Services considers their request unreasonable.
“The clinics are asking for almost double the compensation,” writes the minister’s office. We must respect the ability of taxpayers to pay. “
Interrupted services
Each party claims to act in the best interests of patients. However, while the discord persists between the two camps, infertile Quebecers see their procreation process, nourished with hope with each ovulation but overshadowed by disappointment at each pregnancy failure, interrupted without explanation.
This cycle, Jo-Annie Maheux and her spouse have been living it for three years. ” I feel grabbed between two chairs, explains the one who has already paid $ 7,000 for an unsuccessful in vitro fertilization in a private clinic. The process, at its core, is so anxiety-provoking and so emotional. »She deplores a situation which confines her to waiting, her and her childhood dream.
Clinics announce the end of their fertilization and insemination services by email or phone, without providing any explanation.
“This situation is beyond our control,” wrote the Ovo clinic to another patient in early December. “Unfortunately, we are unable to give you more details. Have a good day, ”the message concluded.
The patient in question, who wishes to preserve her anonymity since she has not announced to her relatives her plan to offer a brother or a sister to her only boy, has already paid $ 2,500 to obtain sperm from a donor. This will remain in a freezer until the resumption of insemination services.
“It makes me sad and it creates stress for me,” she explains. “Days and months mean a lot to me. “
Both this patient and Jo-Annie Maheux would be ready to pay rather than wait for the resolution of a conflict that does not concern them. However, they cannot do so since they are eligible for the free program set up by the government.
On social networks, some say they are turning to the United States for in vitro fertilization. Others wonder if clinics in Ontario can offer them the service, which is supposed to be accessible and free in Quebec.
Silence of clinics
No private fertility clinic wanted to talk to the Duty as part of this report, ensuring “reserve their public comments for now.” All refer to a press release issued by the AFQ, which urges Minister Carmant to “recognize that the participation of private centers for assisted procreation, as partners in the public network, is crucial in order to promote the development of the program. “
On social networks, clinics are now encouraging their customers to write to the Minister. “Accessibility to the program for many Quebec patients is at stake,” Procréa insisted on Thursday.
However, many infertile Quebecers find it difficult to digest the interruption of services covered by the RAMQ by these private clinics. Artificial inseminations, which have never ceased to be reimbursed by the government even after the abolition of the previous program in 2015, are thus suspended by several private centers.
The Federation of medical specialists intends to get involved. “The Federation’s primary concern is access to healthcare. We want to look at the whole file while respecting the commitments made by the Federation and its Association, ”writes the spokesperson for the FMSQ, Guillaume Demers.
The costs associated with artificial inseminations were greatly reduced during the last tariff revision carried out by the Federation of medical specialists. Before, the cost of ovarian stimulation and artificial insemination varied between $ 575 and $ 670. Under the new price list, this price now fluctuates between $ 360 and $ 470, medical act and technical costs included.
Blackmailing “
At the end of its patience, the ACIQ decries the end of services covered by the public plan by private clinics. “It is unacceptable that patients are placed in untenable situations by their clinic”, wrote Thursday the president of ACIQ, Céline Braun, accusing doctors of violating article 13 of their code of ethics by participating “in an action concerted action likely to endanger the health or safety of a clientele or population. “
The association recommends “to refuse this blackmail” and to turn to public reproduction centers, already overwhelmed by requests.
Trapped in this litigation, Jo-Annie Maheux refuses to believe that a few thousand dollars are preventing her from pursuing her childhood dream. “We would like that to be able to pay the balance, we would like that, to pay out of our pockets the difference” which prevents the government and private clinics from coming to an agreement.
“All I want is my baby,” she concludes.