( NYPost )
President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday meant to start fulfilling a campaign pledge to make in-vitro fertilization (IVF) free for would-be parents.
“PROMISES MADE. PROMISES KEPT: President Trump just signed an Executive Order to Expand Access to IVF!” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt tweeted.
“The Order directs policy recommendations to protect IVF access and aggressively reduce out-of-pocket and health plan costs for such treatments.”
The document requires the Domestic Policy Council, led by Vince Haley, to submit a report within 90 days that contains “a list of policy recommendations on protecting IVF access and aggressively reducing out-of-pocket and health plan costs for IVF
treatment.”
“Americans need reliable access to IVF and more affordable treatment options, as the cost per cycle can range from $12,000 to $25,000,” the order says.“[I]t 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.”
Trump pledged in August to make IVF free if he reclaimed power — as Democrats claimed that Republican opposition to abortion threatened access to the procedure.
“Under the Trump administration, your government will pay for — or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for — all costs associated with IVF treatment,” Trump said at a rally in Michigan.
“We want more babies, to put it very nicely.”
It’s unclear exactly how much the initiative might cost — due in part to uncertainty about the precise terms of a possible reform — but experts say it could amount to $7 billion annually for the government and insurance companies.
It’s also unclear whether congressional action will be needed to enact whatever reforms are commended to lower the cost of IVF.
Some opponents of abortion also oppose IVF because it can result in the creation of embryos that aren’t used and are discarded.
Trump won a second non-consecutive term by pledging to rein in inflation and illegal immigration and to adopt a range of new financial benefits for the middle class.
The president also promised as a candidate to abolish taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security benefits, to allow tax deductions for domestic car loan interest and to scrap the $10,000 cap on state and local taxes that can be deducted from federal tax bills.
Trump’s plans, which he said would be paid for with higher tariffs and reduced federal spending, have an uncertain path forward in Congress — where House and Senate leaders disagree on strategy as fiscal hawks express concern about contributing to the deficit.
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