Trump Unveils Plan to Expand Access to 'Fertility Insurance' and IVF Drugs

President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a pair of initiatives aimed at making in vitro fertilization more affordable and accessible, marking his administration’s most significant step yet on an issue that has divided conservatives and became a key point of last year’s campaign outreach to women and families. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said his administration would encourage employers to offer fertility benefits directly to their employees—similar to dental or vision coverage—and unveiled a new agreement with EMD Serono, the maker of Gonal-F, one of the most widely used fertility drugs in the United States. The company, he said, had agreed to provide “massive discounts” on its fertility medications through a government website, TrumpRx.gov, beginning next year. “With the actions I will outline this afternoon, we’ll dramatically slash the cost of IVF and many of the most common fertility drugs for countless millions of Americans,” Trump said. “Prices are going way down—way, way down.” He called the announcement a “historic victory for American women, mothers, and families.” The administration said the new Labor Department guidance would make it easier for companies, including small businesses, to add fertility coverage as a supplemental benefit, without overhauling their primary health insurance plans. The White House is not mandating participation, nor will it subsidize employers that choose to offer the coverage. “With what we signed, Americans will be able to opt in to specialized coverage, just as they get vision and dental insurance, they can get fertility insurance for the first time,” Trump said. He claimed that the fertility coverage “will reduce the number of people who ultimately need to resort to IVF, because couples will be able to identify and address problems early.”  “The result will be healthier pregnancies, healthier babies, and many more beautiful American children,” Trump added. Only about one in four large employers currently provides in vitro fertilization coverage, according to a report from KFF, a nonprofit research organization, and very few states require insurance companies to cover fertility treatments. While some insurance plans already include such benefits, most patients pay out of pocket for procedures that can cost $15,000 to $25,000 per cycle, often requiring multiple rounds. Trump said the new drug pricing deal would reduce the cost of Gonal-F and other fertility medications by as much as 73%. EMD Serono said in a statement that “eligible patients” will be able to purchase its fertility drugs at an 84% discount from list prices. Still, it remains unclear how much the lower drug prices will reduce the total cost of IVF, since medications are only one component of the procedure. Patients must also pay for ultrasounds, anesthesia, laboratory work and embryo storage—costs that together can exceed $20,000 per round. The announcement represents a partial fulfillment of a campaign promise that Trump made in 2024, when he declared that his administration would ensure all Americans had access to fertility treatment. “Under the Trump administration, we are going to be paying for that treatment,” he said in an August 2024 interview with NBC News. “We’re going to be mandating that the insurance company pay.” Trump has repeatedly highlighted infertility as a family issue, casting his approach as a way to build and expand American families. The issue took on new urgency for Republicans last year, after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos created through IVF should be considered children—a decision that prompted some clinics to pause operations and forced GOP leaders to clarify their positions. Trump quickly distanced himself from the ruling and urged Alabama lawmakers to protect access to IVF. Infertility affects roughly one in six women of reproductive age, according to the World Health Organization, and IVF accounts for about 2% of all births in the United States. While Trump’s announcement drew praise from some fertility advocates, others noted that the plan relies heavily on voluntary employer participation and does not guarantee coverage for those who need it most. Critics also questioned whether the discounts negotiated by the administration would meaningfully lower costs for middle-income families who must still pay out of pocket for other parts of treatment.