Washington — On Tuesday, President Trump enacted an executive order aimed at identifying strategies to alleviate the steep costs of in vitro fertilization (IVF) for Americans facing fertility challenges.
During an event at Mar-a-Lago, White House staff secretary Will Scharf informed reporters that the directive instructs the Domestic Policy Council “to enhance the affordability of IVF and other fertility treatments for a greater number of Americans.” A fact sheet from the White House indicates that the order emphasizes “tackling any existing policies, including those requiring legislation, that increase the costs associated with IVF treatments.”
“These treatments have become unaffordable for many Americans,” Scharf remarked.
Currently, health insurance providers are not obligated to cover IVF treatments, which can amount to tens of thousands of dollars.
During the 2024 campaign, Trump promised that if reelected, either the government or insurance companies would cover these treatments.
“Your government will ensure that all expenses related to IVF treatment will either be covered by us or mandated to be covered by your insurance company,” Trump stated in August 2024.
Shortly after Trump made this commitment, Senate Republicans rejected a bill that aimed to safeguard access to IVF and lower the costs of fertility treatments. Republicans argued that the proposed legislation was overly broad, with only two GOP senators — Susan Collins from Maine and Lisa Murkowski from Alaska — backing it.
“Republicans support IVF, without exception,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, then the minority whip, referring to the vote as “a partisan maneuver by Democrats to create a political issue where none exists.”
The topic of access to fertility treatments became a contentious political issue last February following a ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that classified frozen embryos as children under state law. This ruling sparked significant backlash and opened the door for possible wrongful death lawsuits if embryos did not survive the procedure, leading several providers to halt IVF treatments. In response to this ruling, Trump urged the Alabama legislature to “swiftly devise an immediate solution to maintain the accessibility of IVF” in the state.
