Rainbow Families Welcome Equal Access to Fertility Treatments With New Medicare Update

Rainbow Families have welcomed news that the federal government has officially made changes to the definition of infertility that will allow greater access to IVF for same sex couples.

Access to assisted reproductive technology has previous held limitations to same sex couples.

Now Rainbow Families are welcoming the change after a lengthy campaign to see the changes implemented.

Medicare changes to allow better access to IVF for LGBTQIA+ community 

For a long time members of the LGBTQIA+ community have faced many barriers when it comes to accessing assisted reproductive technology.

Much of this was in part to the definition of infertility limiting their access to rebates when accessing IVF and IUI.

The current definition of infertility defined it as “the inability to conceive after 12 months or more of regular, unprotected intercourse” which was not inclusive of same sex couples often leading to unpleasant experiences for the community.

“We’ve heard from community for a long time now about the discrimination they face when starting a family using an IVF clinic,” said Ashley Scott, Executive Officer of Rainbow Families who have been campaigning for the Medicare changes for over a year.

“Some people were able to access the Medicare rebate on their first attempt, while others had to prove they were medically infertile — sometimes after three failed rounds of IVF or IUI. Even within the same clinics, there was a lack of consistency” he stated.

Rainbow Families, the leading voice for LGBTQ+ families in Australia, undertook their own research to uncover the experiences of the community when accessing ART rebates, these ranged “from inclusive, affirming care to deeply discriminatory experiences” a 2024 survey showed.

“We’ve been actively lobbying the Federal Government to ensure that LGBTQ+ people are treated like any other family,” said Scott.

“This week’s announcement is a massive win for our community.”

Whilst an official statement of the new definition is not available as yet, last year an alliance of Australia’s peak fertility associations officially endorsed an expanded definition of infertility as part of the campaign for change.

They supported changing the definition of infertility to include “the inability to achieve a successful pregnancy based on a patient’s medical, sexual, and reproductive history, age, physical findings, diagnostic testing, or any combination of these factors”, thus requiring “medical intervention/s… to achieve a successful pregnancy either as an individual or with a partner.”

Changes Underway

In a statement Rainbow Families indicated that changes are already underway following the announcement.

“Rainbow Families understands that IVF clinics have now received formal communication from the Federal Health Department outlining the updated eligibility criteria, removing relationship status, gender identity, and sexual orientation as barriers to accessing Medicare rebates for ART” they said in a statement.

The changes have been welcomed by the community, with many sharing their experiences previously accessing these services, Brisbane community member Casey shared her story.

“As a queer woman starting a family with my partner, it felt like we had to prove our worth just to be eligible for basic healthcare support” she said.

“This change is more than policy, it’s recognition that our family is valid from the start.”

While these changes are a fantastic improvement for access to ART there are still other areas that need addressing Rainbow Families stated.

“Surrogacy is still excluded from the Medicare rebate,” said Ashley Scott.

“We will continue to advocate for this to change so that all LGBTQ+ people — including gay dads and people using surrogacy — have equal access to family-building support.”