Former U.S. President and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump talks about the economy, inflation and manufacturing during an Alro Steel campaign event in Porterville, Michigan, August 29, 2024.
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former president Donald Trump Said he wanted to undergo in vitro fertilization treatment freeeither requiring insurance companies to cover the procedure or having it federally funded.
“Because we want more babies, to put it nicely,” Trump explain At a campaign rally in Michigan on August 29.
Since then, neither Trump nor his campaign has provided details on how the program will be paid for. Still, his vocal support has brought fertility treatments to the center of the presidential campaign, with both Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris vying for the votes of political women.
But health care experts are skeptical that Trump can implement such a policy on his own. Winning support from fellow Republicans in Congress for free IVF could proved extremely difficult.
“The executive branch’s ability to do this unilaterally is quite limited,” he said. Alina Salgarnikovsenior vice president and director of women’s health policy programs at KFF.
Salgarnikov said requiring insurance companies to pay for IVF would require legislation from Congress. Another potential option is to persuade the expert panel to add in vitro fertilization to the full coverage list Women’s preventive services Under the Affordable Care Act. This will create several challenges, not the least of which is Trump tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Sabrina Collette, co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reform at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, said it’s also difficult for members of Congress to rationalize a single treatment like free IVF.
“What about chemotherapy? What about insulin? What about other life-saving services that people need?” she said.
Getting the government to pay for IVF also requires action by Congress. Experts say lawmakers need to allocate funds, and the cost of such a program could be eye-popping.
The cost of a single cycle of IVF exceeds US$23,000, according to to FertilityIQ. Many women require four or more cycles to successfully give birth.
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Collette said another concern is that insurance companies would be required to cover the cost of IVF treatments, which would pass those additional costs on to consumers.
“We’re talking about an expensive service, and if you remove all the financial barriers, it definitely increases the premium,” Collette said.
The Trump campaign’s national press secretary, Carolyn Leavitt, told CNBC in response to a question about the proposal that Trump “supports universal access to contraception and in vitro fertilization.” Levitt declined to say how the fee would be paid for.
Salgarnikov said these may be some of the reasons why Harris, who has positioned herself as a champion of women’s reproductive rights, has not introduced a similar proposal.
“My sense is they realize the complexity,” Salgarnikov said of the Harris campaign.
Former Rep. Bakari Sellers, a Harris ally, challenged the basic notion that Trump’s remarks on IVF even counted as a policy proposal.
“It’s a foolish proposition to ask Kamala Harris if she’s going to go after Donald Trump on any issue involving reproductive rights,” Sellers told CNBC.
“He said one thing about in vitro fertilization. It’s not a policy, it’s an idea that hasn’t been thoroughly vetted by anyone,” Sellers said.
Aside from Trump saying he would cover “all costs” of IVF, his campaign has not released any formal proposal.
Harris campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said Trump’s own platform “could effectively ban IVF nationwide.” Chitika mentioned the 2024 Republican platform and reported that it would encourage states to establish fetal personhood.
Since Trump overturned Roe v. Wade, IVF has come under attack and women’s freedoms have been stripped away in states across the country,” Chitika said. “There is only one candidate in this race who believes in women and will protect our freedoms and make our lives better.
senate republicans june blocked Legislation that guarantees women’s right to undergo in vitro fertilization treatment. Meanwhile, only 39% of Republicans say it is “morally acceptable” to destroy frozen human embryos created by IVF, Gallup established Same month.
As a result, Trump may find it most difficult to gain support from his own party for a universal IVF program, experts say.
Collette said Republicans’ record on regulating health insurance companies also doesn’t bode well for Trump’s plan.
“They’re all about reducing the authority on insurance companies,” she said.
