President Donald Trump, the self-proclaimed “father of IVF,” signed on Tuesday an executive order aimed at expanding access to in vitro fertilization.
The order “directs” recommendations to protect IVF access that the White House said would “aggressively” reduce costs for patients seeking the treatment, according to a fact sheet first obtained by NOTUS. Costs for fertility treatments vary, but the American Society of Reproductive Medicine says the average cost for one cycle of IVF is about $15,000.
Under the order, the Domestic Policy Council must “submit to the President a list of policy recommendations on protecting IVF access and aggressively reducing out-of-pocket and health plan costs for IVF treatment” within three months.
“The recommendations will focus on how to ensure reliable access to IVF,” the fact sheet states. “Priority will also be placed on addressing any current policies, including those that require legislation, that exacerbate the cost of IVF treatments.”
Trump told reporters at a Mar-a-Lago press event for Tuesday’s series of executive orders: “Fertilization, I’ve been saying that we’re gonna do what we have to do, and I think the women — and families, husbands — are very appreciative of it.”
The order itself states that it’s Trump administration “policy” to “ensure reliable access to IVF treatment, including by easing unnecessary statutory or regulatory burdens to make IVF treatment drastically more affordable.”
NOTUS previously reported that the White House was determining how best to fulfill Trump’s campaign pledge to either have the federal government pay for all IVF costs or require that insurers cover it. While this order does not meet that pledge, a White House official called it the “first step” in actions the Trump administration could take.
Read more from NOTUS: Trump’s Promise to Cover IVF Costs Is ‘Being Worked Through,’ a White House Official Says
It’s unclear how much the Trump administration can do alone on costs, without legislation from Congress. NOTUS spoke with several lawmakers last week, all of whom said they had no idea what happened to Trump’s campaign plan.
Sen. Ted Cruz said he had “not seen the specific proposal from the White House, but I look forward to seeing it when it’s released.” However, he added that he was “absolutely certain we will protect IVF.”
Rep. Don Bacon said that such a proposal “has wide support” within the GOP conference.
“I mean, most of us support IVF, but I haven’t actually heard it brought up yet in the first three weeks,” Bacon told NOTUS.
Highlighting the difficulties some families have in getting pregnant, the order “recognizes the importance of family formation and that our Nation’s public policy must make it easier for loving and longing mothers and fathers to have children,” according to the fact sheet. “Avenues to more affordable IVF treatments are needed.”
IVF became a hot topic in the 2024 election cycle following a ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court that temporarily restricted access to the procedure. In response, Republicans added IVF support to the party’s official platform for the first time.
—
Jasmine Wright and Oriana González are reporters at NOTUS. Emily Kennard contributed reporting.