Guangxi to reimburse in vitro fertilization procedures

From Nov 1, women in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region may have part of their costs for in vitro fertilization procedures reimbursed, according to the region's medical authorities. It's the latest provincial region to provide reimbursement for assisted reproductive technology to encourage births.

According to the regulation released on Friday by Guangxi's healthcare insurance bureau, in one cycle of the in vitro fertilization treatment at a 3A top-level hospital in the region, a person covered by the region's urban employee medical insurance may have 70 percent of the total cost reimbursed, and only pay a minimum out-of-pocket cost of 2,670 yuan ($365).

Those covered by basic urban and rural residents' medical insurance may be reimbursed 50 percent of the cost. The procedure primarily includes oocyte retrieval, cultivation of embryos and embryo transfer. The program may cover up to two cycles of the treatment, the regulation said.