A Matt Guy Liberals and Nationals Government will remove one of the biggest financial barriers that stands between women with serious medical conditions that affect their fertility and the choice to start a family.
We will remove out-of-pocket costs for the collection and initial storage of eggs for women with cancer or conditions such as severe endometriosis.
This will save women up to $7,000 and enable them to undergo the expensive procedure without dipping into their own savings, and help to future-proof their choice to start a family.
"For many women, the choice to start a family is dramatically impacted when they are being treated for cancer, or conditions such as severe endometriosis," Leader of the Liberal Party, Matt Guy said.
"Not only are they faced with a challenging disease, but they also have to deal with questions over their fertility and the potential expense of fertility procedures."
"We will help where we can, by ensuring these women can future-proof the choice to have a family by removing the entire out-of-pocket cost of collecting and storing eggs."
Currently, the Medicare rebate only covers less than half of the total cost of the collection of eggs and initial storage costs for women with conditions affecting their fertility.
This means a woman requiring chemotherapy to treat cancer or who has severe endometriosis would still have to pay fees of around $7,000.
"We will provide a rebate of up to $7,000 to around 3,000 Victorian women with existing medical conditions who need to preserve their fertility with this critical procedure," Shadow Minister for Health, Georgie Crozier said.
"While this is only a modest and very targeted investment, it will have an enormous impact on those women who need it. Every year around 750 Victorian women freeze their eggs for medical reasons, and this number is growing."
This commitment builds on the Liberals and Nationals' already announced support, including $4,500 rebate for IVF and fertility services, as well as up to five days of paid fertility treatment leave for nurses, teachers, and other Victorian public service workers.
"We will ensure these women with serious diseases are not left feeling like the choice to start a family is taken from them," Shadow Minister for Women, Emma Kealy said.
"Our plan will help to ease the emotional and financial burden that these women face, against the growing cost of living pressures."
The Liberals and Nationals' first priority is to fix the health crisis. The only way we can pay for this is by reining in Daniel Andrews' spiralling debt, and cutting waste such as the $4.7 billion West Gate Tunnel blowout.
The total cost of this policy is $21 million.
