The Trump administration has unveiled a sweeping maternal health initiative, combining new employer coverage rules, drug pricing tools, rural health investments and childcare reforms.
Here are the key elements:
1. An employer benefit category for fertility coverage.
The departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Treasury jointly proposed a rule May 10 creating a new category of “limited excepted benefits” for infertility treatment, similar to dental and vision coverage, that would allow employers to voluntarily offer standalone fertility benefits outside of their main health plans. Benefits would cover diagnosis, mitigation or treatment of infertility and related reproductive health conditions, with a combined lifetime cap of $120,000 for participants and their beneficiaries, indexed for inflation for plan years starting after 2028. Employers would be required to provide a notice clearly describing coverage. Comments are due 60 days after Federal Register publication.
2. The initiative builds on prior in vitro fertilization directives.
The administration’s fertility agenda spans more than a year. President Donald Trump’s IVF proposals date back to the campaign trail, and in February 2025 he signed an executive order directing agencies to broaden IVF access and lower costs. In October 2025, the administration unveiled an initiative that included a most-favored-nation pricing agreement with fertility drug manufacturer EMD Serono targeting Gonal-F, with CMS estimating women could save up to $2,200 per cycle on fertility drugs that often exceed $5,000 per cycle.
Sunday’s proposed rule is the administration’s follow-through on that October pledge. “Though most workers of reproductive age receive healthcare coverage through their jobs, the majority do not have robust fertility coverage,” the agencies said. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called the decline in U.S. birth rates “a serious challenge for our nation.”
3. TrumpRx is being used to lower the cost of IVF medications.
President Trump said 19,000 people have used TrumpRx to find lower prices for fertility treatments — one of the first public usage figures tied to the platform, which has since expanded to more than 50 drugs, including fertility medications such as Gonal-F, Cetrotide and Ovidrel. During the May 11 press briefing, CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, MD, added that only 1 in 3 Americans knows what TrumpRx does. “A lot of people don’t realize it’s available,” President Trump said.
4. Dr. Oz pointed to the Rural Health Transformation Program as a tool for addressing maternal health disparities.
Dr. Oz also noted that maternal mortality is 30% higher in rural areas than in urban ones, saying the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program would drive “incredibly beneficial advances” to help Americans in rural areas have babies safely. “Your ZIP code should not determine your mortality rate if you’re having a baby. That’s going to change,” he said.
5. The administration also announced childcare reforms.
President Trump announced reforms to the federal Child Care and Development Fund, including the Head Start program, saying the changes would give states more flexibility and lower costs for families. Childcare advocacy groups, however, said the changes would eliminate a Biden-era rule capping copayments for low-income families at 7% of household income.
6. HHS launched a maternal health resource website.
HHS has also launched Moms.gov, a new platform for new and expectant mothers. The site includes resources on pregnancy centers, federally qualified health centers, nutrition guidance, breastfeeding, mental health, adoption and preconception health, as well as information on Trump Accounts and TrumpRx.
Mr. Kennedy said the website is intended to help parents “build healthy, prosperous lives.” The launch follows FDA guidance issued this month outlining recommendations for studying drug and biologic safety during pregnancy, which the agency said aims to improve data collection and help clinicians and patients make more informed treatment decisions.
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