In the News

by Nathaniel Weixel

Most Americans support legislation requiring insurance companies to cover infertility treatments, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), according to a poll released Thursday. 

The survey, sponsored by Americans for IVF and shared first with The Hill, found 70 percent of respondents would back a bill requiring private companies to cover the treatments, which can often cost tens of thousands of dollars. 

The sentiment crossed party lines, with 58 percent of Republicans, 84 percent of Democrats and 66 percent of Independents expressing support. The poll of 2,180 likely voters nationwide was taken Oct. 6-7. The poll has a margin of error of 3.43 percent.  

IVF has become a common path to parenthood, and demand for the procedure has increased. But insurance coverage remains limited. Among employers with at least 200 workers, 27 percent said they cover IVF. 

A single round of IVF can cost $20,000, and most couples need multiple rounds. Only 16 states have some requirement for insurance companies to cover IVF services.  

There’s bipartisan legislation in the House that would institute a federal requirement to cover infertility treatment, led by Reps. Susan Wild (D-Pa.) Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), Zach Nunn (R-Iowa), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.).  

Under the HOPE with Fertility Services Act, if a health insurance plan provides obstetrical coverage, it must also cover medical treatments like IVF for people to build their families. 

Americans for IVF is heavily involved in the effort to pass the bill through Congress. 

IVF has become a major political issue after an Alabama Supreme Court ruling found frozen embryos are considered children, criminalizing their destruction. The decision led multiple clinics in the state, including the state’s largest health system, to pause IVF operations for fear of legal repercussions until the Legislature passed an emergency fix.    

The ruling put Republicans on the defensive. They have scrambled to say they fully support IVF but have largely avoided the underlying implications about fetal personhood, which many of them also support.   

Many Republican lawmakers agree that frozen embryos should be considered children, calling into question their avowed support for fertility treatments like IVF that often involve disposing of unused embryos.

Democrats have been campaigning on reproductive rights ahead of the November election. The House Democrats’ campaign arm has accused Republicans of wanting to ban IVF if they win, and they point to the anti-IVF stance of Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) as a warning. 

The Harris-Walz campaign has hammered the IVF narrative, specifically targeting former President Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), for past remarks that were seen as insensitive to those struggling with infertility. 

In an attempt to shift the conversation, Trump in August promised that the federal government would cover IVF treatments, an expensive proposal that goes beyond even most Democratic positions on the issue. He also said insurance companies would pay. 

According to the Americans for IVF survey, 57 percent of respondents said Trump’s comments did not make a difference in whether they would vote for him.  

Voters gave Harris a 2-point edge in trust to fulfill her promises on IVF.  

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/4925179-survey-infertility-treatments-coverage/