Trump Signs Order to ‘Reduce’ Costs of IVF Treatments

President Donald Trump signed an executive order instructing federal agencies to develop policies to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for in vitro fertilization (IVF). 

The Details: The order calls for policy recommendations to “protect IVF access and aggressively reduce out-of-pocket and health plan costs for such treatments.” Trump said at a news conference, “I’ve been saying we’re going to do what we have to do” and that he believes many “women and families [and] husbands are very appreciative of it.” 

For Context: IVF is a medical procedure in which an egg and sperm are combined in a lab, and the embryo is then implanted into the woman to establish a pregnancy. A cycle of IVF typically costs between $15,000 to $25,000 and is rarely covered by insurance. On the campaign trail in August, Trump promised to make IVF free if elected. IVF has been seen as controversial by some Republicans and pro-life groups because it involves the creation of multiple embryos, many of which are later discarded.

How The Media Covered It: Several outlets ran headlines that criticized or highlighted criticisms of Trump’s order:

• The Hill (Center): “Trump’s IVF order: Democrats allege ‘PR stunt’ as anti-abortion groups bristle”
• Newsweek (Center): “Trump's IVF Executive Order Sparks Republican, Anti-Abortion Backlash”
• HuffPost (Left): “Trump’s IVF Executive Order Isn’t ‘Promises Made, Promises Kept’”
• National Review (Right): “IVF Doesn’t Actually Make More Babies”