I have accompanied hundreds of women during their IVF embryo transfers giving them acupuncture to increase their successful pregnancy rate by over 65%*. I have witnessed the heartbreak, the financial strain and many successes that accompany IVF. I know that patients who attend FREE seminars by IVF centers are entered into a "lottery" for a chance to win a Free IVF cycles here in the U.S.. This attracted more patients to the fertility centers and gave some people who ordinarily couldn't afford an IVF cycle a chance to participate.
In the UK they are offering gambling at $20 a pop for the potential to win a $15,000 IVF cycle. I am sure there will be conflicting views on this new approach to affordable IVFs but from my perspective I think it's creative and innovative.
I personally think it's ethically ok as long as a potential patient doesn't go into debt or form a gambling addiction. I can see the allure but I would advise patients to choose a limit as to how much money they will gamble before entering the lottery and sticking to that financial commitment. People enter drawings all of the time for other medical practices to win free treatment and sometimes it costs money to attend the events. The lottery is just another way for people to hopefully offset the enormous cost of IVF cycles.
No comments:
Post a Comment