Overview

• Administration officials have abandoned plans to require insurers to cover IVF services despite President Trump’s campaign promise.
• Senior aides acknowledge the president lacks legal authority to designate IVF as an essential health benefit without new legislation.
• Internal proposals to mandate coverage for roughly 50 million people on Affordable Care Act exchanges have been dropped.
• Health policy experts warn that classifying IVF as an essential benefit could increase insurance premiums by several percentage points.
• The administration is now exploring alternative fertility approaches such as restorative reproductive medicine while awaiting congressional action.