Overview
- The administration announced a deal with EMD Serono to sell discounted GONAL-F through TrumpRx, with CMS-cited savings of up to about $2,200 per IVF drug cycle and additional pharmacy discounts via CVS Specialty and Express Scripts.
- New guidance enables employers to offer fertility coverage as a separate, limited benefit similar to dental or vision plans, though insurers are not required to cover IVF.
- Labor, HHS, and Treasury said they will propose rules expanding pathways for certain fertility benefits to qualify as excepted benefits, and FDA signaled faster review of lower-cost fertility drugs.
- Patients and clinicians say drug discounts address only a fraction of IVF expenses that often total $12,000 to $30,000 per cycle, noting medications typically comprise a minority of the bill.
- Advocates fault the plan for falling short of Trump’s campaign pledge to make IVF free or insured, as pro-life and Catholic leaders oppose expanded access on ethical grounds involving embryo creation and destruction.