Washington — President Trump said the cost of drugs for in vitro fertilization will decrease “dramatically,” as his administration has negotiated lower prices for an expensive component of the IVF cycle.
IVF cycles can cost $25,000 or even more, as Mr. Trump said, and many couples need multiple cycles. Most employers don’t offer fertility insurance coverage.
“As a result of these actions, the per-cycle cost of drugs used in IVF will fall by an estimated 73% for American consumers, and the numbers are going to actually be very substantially higher as time goes by when it really kicks in,” Mr. Trump announced in the Oval Office.
“A major reason for these high prices is the excessive cost of the drugs involved,” Mr. Trump said. “The number one fertility drug used in IVF is currently 700% more expensive in the United States than the rest of the world.”
The president said biopharmaceutical company EMD Serono has agreed to provide “massive discounts” to all fertility drugs they sell in the U.S., including Gonal-f, a critical drug in the shot protocol required for egg stimulation. EMD Serono said in a statement that patients will be able to buy its fertility drugs directly at an 84% discount from list prices.
“We’re here today to announce a historic victory for American women, mothers and families,” Mr. Trump said. “With the actions I will outline this afternoon, we’ll dramatically slash the cost of IVF and the treatment and many of the most common fertility drugs for countless millions of Americans.”
The president also said his administration is working to make it easier for companies to offer supplemental insurance coverage for fertility. Some companies do already offer supplemental fertility coverage.
While significant, the president’s move falls short of his pledge in August 2024 to have IVF covered fully by either insurance or the federal government. Mr. Trump signed an executive order in February directing the White House to look at how to expand IVF access, although the recommendations from those efforts have never been released.
It’s not yet clear how much the lower drug costs will decrease the overall cost of an IVF cycle. Women require varying volumes of the stimulation drugs.
Slashing drug prices by more than half doesn’t mean the cost of an IVF cycle will decrease that much. The drugs are an expensive part of the procedure, but the cost also includes ultrasounds, anesthesia and other fees. Each cycle costs between $12,000 and $25,000, and many couples undergo several cycles. Very few states require insurance companies to provide coverage for the treatment, so the vast majority of women and couples must pay out of pocket for IVF rounds. For couples who choose to keep frozen embryos, there is also a monthly or annual storage fee, which can cost more than $1,000 a year.
Taxpayers won’t be subsidizing fertility coverage, a senior administration official told reporters on a phone call ahead of the president’s announcement, on the condition of anonymity. While the Trump administration is encouraging employers to offer fertility coverage, there will be no requirement for employers to do so, the official said. The Department of Labor, Treasury Department and Department of Health and Human Services will be issuing guidance allowing fertility benefits to be offered as accepted benefits outside of major medical insurance plans. Senior administration officials told reporters it’s hard to diminish the cost of the drugs because they require careful storage and refrigeration. They also said there are other drugs involved in an IVF cycle that have not yet been negotiated that could further reduce costs.
During the campaign, the president called himself the “father of IVF” and a “leader on fertilization, IVF.”
“Under the Trump administration, we are going to be paying for that treatment,” Mr. Trump, then a candidate, said in August 2024. He added, “We’re going to be paying for that treatment, or we’re gonna be mandating that the insurance company pay.”
Sneak peek: My Uncle Joe’s Murder
What to expect from Trump’s news conference with FBI Director Kash Patel
Lawmakers sound off on Trump’s Argentina bailout as government shutdown continues
