Trump admin won’t force health insurers to cover IVF

President Donald Trump’s administration is backing off a campaign proposal to require insurance companies to cover in vitro fertilization (IVF), the Washington Post reports.

“We want to produce babies in this country, right?” Trump said in August 2024. “The government is going to pay for it, or we’re going to get – we’ll mandate your insurance company to pay for it, which is going to be great. We’re going to do that.”

However, more than six months into Trump’s second term, his administration has not introduced any federal IVF subsidies or proposed a rule requiring Obamacare exchange plans to cover IVF.

One senior official told the Washington Post that Trump still wants to expand access to fertility treatments, but legally “can’t” require IVF coverage without Congress. It’s unclear whether the White House will push for legislation.

“President Trump pledged to expand access to fertility treatments for Americans who are struggling to start families,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said. “The Administration is committed like none before it to using its authorities to deliver on this pledge.”

Many pro-lifers oppose in vitro fertilization because it results in the widespread destruction of embryos of unborn children.

However, the administration has recently shown interest in a fertility approach emphasizing general health and lifestyle over IVF, a White House adviser said.

While some on the right support making IVF more accessible to address falling birthrates, pro-lifers in the GOP are pushing back.

“Anytime you layer on something as an essential health benefit, it increases premiums,” Avik Roy of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity said.

Others question the legal authority mandating health insurers to cover IVF.

“It’s more uncommon than not for IVF to be currently covered,” Patrick T. Brown of the Ethics and Public Policy Center said. “So it’d be a pretty elastic ruling.”

Trump signed a February executive order directing his administration to find ways to reduce IVF costs, and the administration has promoted pro-family values.