The Trump administration has no current plans to require payers to provide coverage for in vitro fertilization services, despite a campaign pledge to do so, The Washington Post reported Aug. 3.
Five things to know:
1. During his 2024 presidential campaign, President Donald Trump said that if he returned to office, the government would either pay for IVF services or create rules requiring payers to cover treatment for it.
2. Mr. Trump has not publicly proposed new federal subsidies to make IVF free or more affordable, and White House officials are moving away from policies discussed internally to mandate IVF coverage for people on the ACA exchanges.
3. The president cannot legally make IVF an essential health benefit without Congress first passing legislation to do so, according to the report. Two people with knowledge of internal discussions told the Post that mandating payers to cover IVF is not currently planned.
4. Mr. Trump signed an executive order Feb. 18 directing agencies to develop policy recommendations to protect access to IVF and “aggressively reduce out-of-pocket and health plan costs for such treatments.”
5. A White House spokesperson said Mr. Trump is continuing to work to fulfill his commitment to expand IVF.
