Hey Lovelies,
A friend sparked the idea for this post the other day. We were discussing her reaction to a post I did for CIAW on Fertility Matters website. I urge you to read it, if you haven’t already, but the jist was that in Canada we really should have full funding on fertility treatments. I feel this way because we have universal health coverage and infertility is a disease.
My friend found herself struggling with this idea but, because shes a bad ass, didn’t just leave it with her first brush on the topic. See she really wrestled to understand where I was coming from on this. At first she found herself very against the idea that we should pay to allow people to have babies. That’s a want… not a need. It’s not life or death. But then, and this is why she’s awesome, she caught herself. Surely, she thought, in a country as first world and wonderful as Canada we can aim a little higher with our health care than merely life or death! As she was recounting this internal dialogue to me she then said something that made my heart beat a little faster, in a good way, she said “I mean, it’s really about quality of life, isn’t it? Our health care system is not supposed to just be about life or death.”
Exactly.
Our health care system, in the developed world, isn’t just about life and death struggles. We are fortunate enough to live in a place where the focus of most of our healthcare system is dedicated to preserving and extending quality of life to it’s patients. And we’re not the only country that places their focus on this. My friend, who lives in America, is telling us all the time how they are continuously working on making their health service better. She should know, as she uses it more often than most people, so it’s a good job she has come across this medical insurance california company to help her find the best and low-cost plans for her needs. It’s really made a difference to her life recently, and I’m glad. We all should have the right to a health care system that focuses on the lives of its patients. All patients. Infertility patients ARE suffering a loss of quality of life in dealing with these diseases. The “cure” for that would mean mental health funding and treatment funding. These two things should be covered because that’s what people with these diseases would need in order to experience their greatest, most fulfilled life.
And isn’t that what being privileged to call a country as great as Canada home is all about?
Being able to live our greatest life?
In my mind, it’s about being able to at least take a crack at it.
XOXXO,
The Chicken
Thanks for sharing – I thought Canada was supporting infertile couples more. And it’s great that you convinced your friend!
Conceptionally Challenged,
In Ontario there is some reimbursement for treatment. In Quebec there is now IVF funding. But the rest of the provinces are not covered at all. It’s disheartening.
XOXXO, The Chicken
I don’t know why I was surprised to hear about inconsistent coverage between the provinces but I was. I guess it is no different than the discrepancies between states down here.
Cyn K,
Right?! It shouldn’t be like that here as we are supposed to have fairly consistent coverage across provincial lines. But it is like that. It’s really because recently a few provinces have begun petitioning for better coverage and not everyone is eager to hop on board. Hopefully the rest keep up.
XOXXO, The Chicken
Agree with this completely! Been dealing with infertility ourselves it doesn’t seem fair for someone to tell us one medical procedure is covered and not another. My MIL just had her cataracts removed, it was covered. Her sight is not a life or death need but comes down to quality of life.
Kayla,
Exactly.
XOXXO, The Chicken
You can also argue that having children is a need not a want because it is species survival. Granted nobody is greatly worried about humans going extinct. However, having babies is still necessary biologically, and necessary in other ways, too: somebody needs to pay taxes for all these social programs, and you and I aren’t going to be here forever :-p
Turtle,
I wouldnt say I agree with this argument but it is certainly one that can be made. And yes, it is totally a biologically driven need, that’s a given.
XOXXO, The Chicken
I like that way of looking at it — as a quality of life issue.
I think it’s also telling that people would change their tune if population rates took a nose dive. When it starts to affect the country as a whole vs. individuals.
Mel,
Me too, I was very impressed with her logic. My dad made the argument recently that if people really want to scale back immigration we need to up Canadian babies and this might be one way to do it. While I disagree about lowering immigration it was a valid point.
XOXXO, The Chicken
Where I live in Europe, birth rates are so freaking low, and average maternal age is so freaking high, that the health system still covers fertility treatments despite being pruned back in every possible way in the name of austerity. The religious right scored a recent victory by requiring hospitals to discriminate against single and lesbian infertiles, but every other woman under the age of 41 is eligible.
M.J.
Interesting! Shitty that they are limiting resources from some people who need it but cool that it’s covered at all.
XOXXO, The Chicken