President Donald Trump has unveiled a new initiative aimed at expanding access to fertility treatments, including in vitro fertilization, by providing a legal pathway for employers to offer fertility benefits.
On Oct. 16, the Department of Labor, HHS and the Treasury shared how they plan to pursue rulemaking to further expand employers’ ability to offer the treatments through standalone benefit packages. The packages will allow employers to provide coverage for a range of infertility treatments in the same way they offer dental, vision or life insurance.
According to the White House, only 42% of employers offer coverage for fertility services, 32% offer coverage for fertility medications and 32% offer coverage for IVF.
A core component of the initiative is a new agreement with fertility medication manufacturer EMD Serono to introduce “most-favored-nation” drug pricing, with cost savings projected for patients purchasing fertility medications directly from TrumpRx.gov, which is expected to launch next year.
The agreement specifically targets GONAL-F, a commonly used fertility drug, offering it at a discount equal to 796% of the deal price. Low- and middle-income women will receive an additional discount, totaling 2,320% off the deal price. CMS estimates that women could save up to $2,200 per cycle on fertility drugs, which often cost over $5,000 per cycle.
The agreement also includes commitments from EMD Serono to offer discounts on other medications and guarantee MFN prices on all new medicines that come to market. The company said it would invest in manufacturing IVF drugs in the U.S. for the first time as part of this agreement.
The administration also introduced a measure to expedite the approval process for lower-cost fertility drugs through the FDA’s National Priority Review Voucher program. The program aims to shorten review times from 10 to 12 months to 1 to 2 months, potentially increasing competition in the fertility drug market.
President Trump’s IVF policy proposals date back to the campaign trail. In February, he laid the groundwork by signing an executive order directing agencies to develop policies that would broaden IVF access and lower costs for similar treatments. The president had also previously proposed mandating that CMS and private insurers cover all costs associated with IVF treatments, but no policies have been announced to implement that.
