Health Minister Josie Osborne officially launched the province's in-vitro fertilization program Wednesday (July 2).
Beginning Wednesday, eligible British Columbians will be able to access up to $19,000 in funding for a single standard in-vitro fertilization cycle, including treatment and medication, Osborne announced while at B.C. Women's Hospital and Health Centre in Vancouver.
Funding amounts will be based on household income, she said, as a way to ensure more British Columbians can benefit from the program and there's "greater support" for those who need it most.
Households with a pre-tax income of $100,000 or less will be eligible for the full $19,000, with funding phasing out for households earning more than $250,000.
Osborne said the funding eligibility is something her ministry will be very carefully monitoring throughout the year, "so that we can understand the demand for this and where people are at and then make tweaks or adjustments to the program as we can moving forward."
The government is estimating to help fund between 1,100 and 4,500 IVF cycles this fiscal year.
Asked how the province is determining who gets the funding and when, Osborne said it's on a first-come, first-served basis that will be delivered through the province's partnerships with fertility clinics.
She said people who have had their medical consultation and are working with a fertility expert will then have a package submitted to the Ministry of Health, That will then take an estimated 30 business days to process the application and then the ministry will be able to disperse the funding.
The province says that to be eligible, individuals must be at least 18 years of age and 41 years or younger at the time of applying for the funding. They must also be enrolled in MSP. Applicants who turned 42 between April 1, 2025 and July 2, 2025 are also eligible to apply.
This comes after the province of its publicly funded in-vitro fertilization program in late March, pushing it back to July 2. It was initially slated to begin in April 2025, according to , with the province allocating $68 million over two years.
Treatment for one cycle of in-vitro fertilization can cost anywhere between $15,000 and $20,000.
The 2024 budget showed that the $68 million would be provided over two years: the 2025/26 and the 2026/27 budget cycles.
