politics
Trump Administration Proposes Optional Employer Fertility Benefit Including IVF
President Donald Trump unveiled a proposed rule creating a voluntary insurance option for fertility care including IVF during a May 11, 2026, event in the White House Oval Office. The policy, developed by the departments of Labor and Health and Human Services, responds to a 20-year decline in the U.S. birth rate. It drew mixed reactions from both anti-abortion advocates and pro-IVF groups.
May 13, 5:00 AM·2m read1 source
Washington ExaminerAudio version
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President Donald Trump announced a new fertility coverage option during a Mother’s Day event on Monday, May 11, 2026, in the Oval Office of the White House. ” The proposed rule would create an optional insurance benefit for fertility care, including IVF treatments, that can be offered to employees similar to vision or dental insurance.
The policy is to be created by the departments of Labor and Health and Human Services.
It would create a new category of benefits that can be voluntarily provided by employers and opted into by employees. Administration officials told reporters on Monday that employers should expect to be able to opt in for coverage for the plan starting in 2027. The new proposal must go through a 60-day comment period before being finalized.
The proposed rule does not require the federal government to pay for IVF treatments, nor does it include a mandate requiring insurance companies to pay for the treatments. Senior health officials cited the nation’s falling birth rate, which has been declining for the past 20 years, as the primary reason for the proposed rule. The birth rate is well below replacement levels.
U.S. population will begin shrinking by 2056 due to the persistent baby bust. Dr. ” More than 1 in 10 couples who want to conceive struggle with infertility, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gov was launched on Sunday, Mother’s Day. It highlights pregnancy resource centers, advice on prenatal and postnatal care, nutritional information, and baby formula safety.
