Since Former President Donald Trump came into office, the reproductive health world has been turned upside down. Specifically he issued a presidential order to expand access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) services and reduce costs associated with the service. This directive, announced on Tuesday, calls for the administration to “protect IVF access and aggressively reduce out-of-pocket and health plan costs.” Trump’s new initiative would be a move to address the increase in the need for fertility treatments across the U.S. He casts this shift as essential to raising the country’s birthrate.
The announcement comes as the IVF industry is struggling with increased demand and clinic closures. Clinics in Alabama briefly halted services in protest against the drastic cuts and changes suggested by Trump’s administration. This sudden change has disrupted the industry’s status quo. It does raise very serious questions about its impact on patients looking to receive basic fertility treatments.
Aiming for a Baby Boom
At a recent Women’s History Month celebration, Trump boasted that he was the “fertilization president.” He stressed his deep personal passion on reproductive health issues. He even framed the new measures as a bonafide, first-of-its-kind proactive approach to addressing the birth rate crisis in the U.S. He calls this problem the number one national security crisis.
“We are below replacement right now. That is a national security threat to our country.” – Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Making sure that all Americans have full reproductive healthcare, including access to fertility treatments is definitely on Trump’s agenda. The former president stated, “Under the Trump administration, we are going to be paying for that treatment,” reiterating his promise to make fertility care more accessible.
The announcement is a big reversal in policy. Behind the scenes, Trump is trying to enact government directives that will limit adults’ routes to parenthood. He explained that to that end, effective immediately, businesses can now legally provide supplemental insurance plans that cover fertility treatments.
“Americans will be able to opt in, do specialized coverage, just as they get vision and dental insurance.” – Donald Trump
Collaboration and Tariff Threats
Trump’s plan to make it more affordable involves partnering with EMD Serono, a subsidiary of Merck. Together, they’ll provide discounted fertility medications through his recently launched online drug marketplace, TrumpRx. This partnership comes on the heels of agreements with two other major pharmaceutical companies to supply discounted products as part of Trump’s initiative.
The former president demonstrated a bolder stance against drug companies. He then threatened them with a 100-percent tariff on their products if they didn’t immediately begin building manufacturing plants in the U.S. He argued that these tariff threats have done the trick and brought companies to heel.
“They’ll bring a significant portion of their drug manufacturing back to the United States. That’s for a lot of reasons, but primarily because of the election result, November 5th, and maybe most importantly because of the tariffs.” – Donald Trump
It’s a daring move to increase domestic production, and expand availability of fertility drugs to people who need them most.
Political Reactions and Industry Response
Regardless of how realistic, or unrealistic, Trump’s proposals are, responses from politicians have been both encouraging and discouraging thus far. In response, Senator Elizabeth Warren blasted Trump, accusing the administration of failing to deliver on a pledge to provide IVF for free. She called his pledges “a finger in the eye” and “a broken promise.”
“Donald Trump lied when he pledged to make IVF available to every family for FREE.” – Senator Elizabeth Warren
“It’s insulting – a broken promise.” – Senator Elizabeth Warren
To those in the Republican Party who support Trump’s anti-environmental initiatives, these efforts have been hailed as victories. Senator Katie Britt expressed gratitude for Trump’s focus on reproductive healthcare, stating that his actions have solidified the party’s image as one representing parental interests.
“Mr. President, this is the most pro-IVF thing that any president in the history of the United States of America has done. You are the reason why the Republican Party is now the party of parents.” – Senator Katie Britt
Stakeholders like the American Society for Reproductive Medicine don’t think that these changes foreshadow a long-term trend. To be fair, Trump’s announcement has caused a big earthquake. Clinics are left in a lurch as they scramble to find out how to comply with these new restrictions while still serving their patients.
