In a dramatic policy push blending health care and demographics, President Donald Trump on Thursday unveiled a sweeping initiative to make in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments more affordable—and reignite America’s declining birthrate.
“We want more babies,” Trump declared, announcing a twin effort to encourage employers to offer fertility benefits and to slash drug prices through a new agreement with pharmaceutical manufacturer EMD Serono, a division of Merck KGaA.
“I’ve been in favor of IVF from the very beginning,” Trump said, framing the initiative as both pro-family and pro-growth.
A New Fertility Benefits Framework
The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury said employers will now be able to offer standalone infertility benefit packages, including IVF coverage. However, officials stopped short of mandating such benefits or allocating new federal funds.
The policy rollout marks a fresh bid to address the financial burden of fertility care, which can exceed $20,000 per cycle.
