Former President Donald Trump says the government and private insurers will be required to cover all costs associated with in vitro fertilization treatments if he is re-elected in November.
"Under the Trump administration, your government will pay for, or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for, all costs associated with IVF treatment," Mr. Trump said at an Aug. 29 campaign rally in Michigan.
He did not specify how the proposal would be funded.
According to HHS, a single cycle of IVF can cost $15,000 to $20,000, with the average number of cycles needed to become pregnant from IVF being 2.5.
"IVF treatments are expensive. It's very hard for many people to do it and to get it, but I’ve been in favor of IVF, right from the beginning," Mr. Trump said.
IVF allows people who use fertility services to save their eggs, sperm, or reproductive tissues to have children at a future date. IVF accounts for nearly all assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures performed in the U.S. In 2021, 86,146 infants born (2.3% of all U.S. infants) were conceived through ART, according to HHS.
IVF is often not covered by insurance. In 29 states, private insurers are not required to cover any fertility services, while 15 states have IVF coverage mandates. These state mandates do not apply to self-insured employers, which cover the majority of employees. Medicaid coverage is optional for states and varies from state to state.
In February, the Alabama Supreme Court issued a ruling declaring that embryos created through IVF should be considered children. Mr. Trump has distanced himself from that decision, but Democrats have used threats to IVF access as a campaign point against Republicans.
"I kept hearing that I'm against [IVF], I'm actually very much for it," Mr. Trump said Aug. 29. "In Alabama, where the judge ruled against it, I countered the judge and came out with a very strong statement for it."
During the Michigan campaign rally, Mr. Trump repeated his position that abortion laws should be decided by states, and that he supports exceptions for rape, incest and threats to the mother's life.
Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign is promoting policies supporting IVF access and abortion. Her VP pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and his wife used fertility treatments to become pregnant with their daughter.