Since December 30, 2024, Italian couples facing infertility now have a concrete new opportunity to fulfill their dream of becoming parents.
Thanks to the approval of the new tariff decree by the State-Regions Conference, Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) has officially become part of the Essential Levels of Assistance (LEA), now included among the services guaranteed by the National Health Service.
The Essential Levels of Assistance (LEA) are the services and treatments that the National Health Service is required to provide to all citizens, either free of charge or with a co-payment (ticket), across the entire national territory, regardless of their place of residence.
The inclusion of ART in the new LEA brings significant changes, both in the organization of services and in the opportunities available to couples. Access criteria and costs have been standardized:
- Shift to outpatient care: ART techniques, both homologous and heterologous, will primarily be performed on an outpatient basis, with hospitalization reserved only for cases requiring specific medical needs.
- Age limit and number of attempts: Women up to the age of 46 will be eligible for up to six ART cycles, with no exclusion of techniques. Attempts made before December 30, 2024, will not be counted.
- Uniform ticket cost: Service tariffs and ticket costs will be standardized across all Regions, following the pricing model adopted in Emilia-Romagna. These costs cover the entire treatment cycle for assisted couples, including gamete retrieval and related monitoring.
- Tariff integration: Based on the recommendations of the ART Technical Table of March 28, 2022, the decree includes tariff integration for specific procedures, such as follicular aspiration, in vitro fertilization with or without ICSI (homologous), and embryo transfer.
