“It’s the worst kind of politician that sits idle while in government and does nothing and then when campaign time rolls around they make announcements.”
If the Saskatchewan Party forms government again, Scott Moe says he will make it easier for people to get fertility treatments as well as cervical cancer testing.
A Saskatoon-based clinic lists prices for in vitro fertilization (IVF) that range from $8,000 to $15,000. Sometimes more than one cycle of IVF is required, according to the Saskatchewan Health Authority and Moe said treatment can often run into the $15,000 to $20,000 range.
“This is just simply trying to support not just families but individuals across Saskatchewan as they are making decisions, and often this is part of those decisions as to how they can grow their families,” said Moe.
Moe said the decision to provide relief through a tax credit came about through discussions with various people within the ministry of health. When asked how this would benefit those who may not have the capital on hand to pay for the treatment up front and then get reimbursed later, Moe said “the tax credit will be available for anyone that does make this choice, and I would say that it’s much more than we had before.”
“On the IVF front, obviously this is something the NDP (has) been calling for, for years,” said Conway.
Conway said the NDP has heard from families that have had to remortgage their home or take a second job to pay for the treatment and others who simply can’t afford it.
“It’s disappointing that the Sask. Party has not taken action on this sooner. (Moe) acknowledged today that we’ve stood up and asked for this over 50 times,” she said.
“It’s the worst kind of politician that sits idle while in government and does nothing and then when campaign time rolls around they make announcements,” Conway added.
NDP candidate Aleana Young also responded to Moe’s announcements in a social media post on Monday.
“Would have been decent for Moe to show some leadership when his cabinet and backbench would heckle during stories of miscarriage and fertility struggles,” she wrote.
Young rose 56 times during the 29th Legislature to present a petition calling on the government to “immediately move to cover the financial burden of two rounds of IVF treatment for Saskatchewan people experiencing infertility,” according to Hansard (a verbatim report of debates that take place in the legislative assembly).
In addition to the coverage for IVF, the Sask. Party also announced a plan to expand access to self-screening kits for cervical cancer. This would be achieved by allowing women aged 25 to 69 to have the tests mailed out to them to screen for the human papillomavirus infection (HPV).
Moe said he hopes this will “provide for earlier treatment, which are far less invasive treatments, so those that are receiving treatment will have more successful outcomes.”
During the announcement, Moe was joined by Sask. Party candidates Laura Ross and Sarah Wright.
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