President Trump orders expanded IVF access and reduced costs

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at protecting and expanding access to IVF and reducing costs.

The order, signed by President Trump on 18 February, is intended to 'direct' recommendations to expand access to IVF but does not outline policy changes. During his election campaign, President Trump announced his intention to protect access to IVF and expand insurance coverage for fertility treatment. In the order, he reiterates his commitment to expanding access.

'My Administration recognises the importance of family formation, and as a Nation, our public policy must make it easier for loving and longing mothers and fathers to have children,' President Trump said in the order. 'Therefore, to support American families, it is the policy of my Administration to ensure reliable access to IVF treatment, including by easing unnecessary statutory or regulatory burdens to make IVF treatment drastically more affordable.'

The order requires the assistant to the president for domestic policy to provide a list of recommendations within 90 days 'on protecting IVF access and aggressively reducing out-of-pocket and health plan costs for IVF treatment'. The order itself does not introduce any changes to law or policy.

The fertility rate in the USA is at a historic low, and up to one in seven couples face difficulties conceiving, according to a White House fact sheet accompanying the order. The average cost of an IVF cycle is reported to range between $12,000 and $25,000, and treatment is often not covered by health insurance. The executive order forms part of President Trump's commitment to support American families to have more children, 'Because we want more babies, to put it very nicely', according to the fact sheet.

IVF access became a key issue during the 2024 presidential election campaign following the Alabama Supreme Court's decision to legally recognise embryos as children. The ruling led some Alabama clinics to pause IVF treatment (see BioNews 1228 and 1229), and prompted concerns that access to treatment could be restricted in other states. Following the ruling, President Trump reiterated his support for IVF, and announced on his campaign trail that, if elected, his Republican party would ensure IVF access and funding for 'all Americans that need it' (see BioNews 1254 and 1258).

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) said it would support federally mandated coverage for IVF through employer health insurance. However, this would require legislative change, and it is not yet clear whether this will form part of the policy recommendations following the order.

'In the wake of all these other executive orders that do such dramatic things so fast, this one still leaves you anticipating what the policy change is going to be,' said Sean Tipton, chief advocacy and policy officer for the ASRM, according to the Guardian. 'I would much rather have a policy that was thought out. I'm hopeful that they're going to talk to the stakeholders, the experts, about what that policy should look like. And that's going to take a little time.'