WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he signed an executive order to expand access to and reduce the costs of in vitro fertilization.
The order, which directs government agencies to come up with policy recommendations that protect IVF access and cut costs for both individuals and insurers, did not address how the costs would be covered.
It will also address current policies, including those requiring legislation, that make the treatment more expensive, a White House fact sheet showed.
“President Trump promised to advance IVF and help American families with the associated costs so American families can have more babies, building on his record of supporting family formation and stability,” the White House said.
Trump had said during his election campaign he would require the government or insurance companies to pay for IVF fertility treatments if elected.
Not all states currently require insurance companies to cover IVF, which involves combining eggs and sperm in a laboratory dish to create an embryo for couples having difficulty conceiving. Even with insurance coverage, IVF can cost thousands of dollars in drugs and medical procedures.
IVF emerged as a hot-button issue in the 2024 presidential election after the conservative Alabama Supreme Court ruled last year that embryos are children.
That ruling left it unclear how to legally store, transport and use embryos, prompting some IVF patients to consider moving their frozen embryos out of the state.
Senate Republicans blocked Democratic-led legislation designed to protect IVF access twice last year, with some Republicans arguing the legislation is unnecessary as IVF access is not in danger.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal, Ryan Patrick Jones, and Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Ismail Shakil and Deepa Babington)
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