Page 2227 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 3 August 2022
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including a potential low-cost ART service in the ACT; work with the commonwealth government to explore opportunities to improve access to specialised support or counselling services for donor conceived people and their families; advocate to the commonwealth government to expand the eligibility criteria for accessing Medicare rebates to include people accessing ART treatment due to social infertility; and encourage ART providers to expand availability of counselling appointments and to offer counselling at no cost where it is not already. Counselling and support services should be focused on the wellbeing of the individual and the rights of the donor conceived child rather than the ART process and should be culturally appropriate and inclusive.
The government will encourage all ART clinics to undertake LGBTIQ+ cultural competency training and to use inclusive and gender-neutral language in ART treatment and practice; and encourage ART providers to promote access to peer support networks.
Implementing these next steps will help ensure equity among all cohorts wishing to access ART. It will help ensure that adequate support is provided for all who are involved in an ART process and will be considerate of the needs of donor conceived people.
In the ACT, ART is available through private service providers. While some ART costs are covered through either Medicare rebates or private health insurance, IÂ acknowledge there are still significant out-of-pocket costs associated with accessing ART. Cost was one of the most widely raised issues by consumers as a barrier to accessing ART services and we heard that some people travel to New South Wales to access the low-cost options there. The ACT government will explore options to improve affordability and accessibility of ART so that cost is not such a barrier and people can receive care closer to home.
Eligibility for Medicare rebates was commonly discussed as a barrier to the accessibility and affordability of ART, particularly for LGBTIQ+ Canberrans who seek to access ART services. Although Medicare is the responsibility of the commonwealth government, the ACT government is supportive of equity in access to Medicare rebates for ART and will advocate for this.
For people considering accessing ART services, support services are available to assist in the decision-making process. Counselling is currently mandatory for ART that involves the use of donor gametes. Any person who accesses ART, however, should be offered counselling by an appropriately trained and experienced professional.
We heard that when accessing support and counselling services for ART people had mixed experiences. While many people told us about their positive experiences, there were still individuals who had difficult or negative experiences. Some LGBTIQ+ consumers indicated that some ART providers have a limited understanding of LGBTIQ+ fertility and care needs.
Other people told us of varying experiences with counselling provided by ART clinics, with some finding it helpful, whereas others found it distressing. Some people were
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