President Donald Trump touted himself as the “father of IVF” during his campaign, advocating for government or insurance coverage of the procedure. IVF, or in vitro fertilization, is a method where an egg is fertilized outside the body by sperm, often used by couples facing infertility. Recently, Trump signed an executive order to explore expanding access to IVF treatments, tasking the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy to provide recommendations within 90 days on reducing out-of-pocket costs for IVF.
Barb Collura, president of RESOLVE: the National Infertility Association, noted that while the executive order is a step forward, it does not fully fulfill Trump’s campaign promise. She emphasized the importance of input from infertility experts in shaping policy recommendations related to IVF.
Despite not being contacted by the government yet, Collura highlighted the need for increased IVF access for active duty service members, veterans, and federal employees. She also mentioned a bill in Congress, the HOPE with Fertility Services Act, aimed at requiring private insurance and employers to cover IVF.
Dr. Amber Cooper of Kindbody and Neel Shah of Maven Clinic expressed optimism about the executive order potentially improving access to IVF care. Cooper advocated for policy changes expanding IVF access through employer-sponsored insurance, while Shah emphasized the need to reduce costs and increase providers in the field.
Collura stressed the importance of both expanding and protecting access to IVF, citing state-level legislative actions that could restrict access to the procedure. She emphasized the interconnectedness of expanding and protecting access to IVF treatments. “En otras palabras, ¿por qué molestarse en expandir el acceso cuando ese acceso podría ser quitado por una legislatura estatal? Nos encantaría ver una protección federal de la FIV, y de esa manera no tendríamos que preocuparnos por las acciones estatales. Y luego la expansión de la cobertura es realmente significativa y duradera.”
Foto por Chip Somodevilla/Getty Imágenes