Trump’s IVF pledge puts spotlight on treatment coverage debate in Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Former President Donald Trump said Thursday he supports the federal government paying for or requiring insurance to cover the cost for in-vitro fertilization, a fertility treatment that’s taken center stage in the political debate in recent months.
The issue has been in focus in Minnesota recently, too, as Democrats in control of the state capitol here push for insurance mandates so IVF and other fertility treatments are included in health plans. 
“Your government will pay for or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for all costs associated with IVF treatment,” Trump said at a Michigan rally before reiterating his pledge at a town hall in Western Wisconsin.
He offered no additional details for his proposal, but advocates in Minnesota say it further underscores the policy has broad support among many Americans struggling with infertility. One in seven Minnesotans is impacted by infertility — or 185,000 people, according to Resolve, the national infertility association. 
“We’re thrilled to hear presidential candidates talking about infertility and access,” said Julie Berman, an advocate who leads the Minnesota Building Families Coalition. “I can’t say whether [Trump’s endorsement] would move the needle. But I know that people who struggle with infertility and struggle to build their family are really feeling seen by the prominence of IVF as part of the discussions.”
A plan under discussion at the state legislature this year stated coverage would only apply for procedures deemed medically necessary and co-pays and deductibles for treatments cannot exceed what someone has to pay for maternity benefits under their health plan.
Coverage must include unlimited embryo transfers, but may limit the number of egg retrievals — a key step for in-vitro — to four. 
But ultimately, the bill did not clear the finish line. DFL leaders said the proposal was too expensive for a non-budget year; the legislature crafts the state’s spending plan every two years. 
Sen. Erin May Quade, DFL-Apple Valley, the author of the legislation, vowed to make this her top priority going into the 2025 session, when lawmakers will put together the next budget. She knows personally the financial toll of fertility treatments, she explained, having paid $12,000 out of pocket in order to have her daughter.
Now working in state government, her insurance provides coverage. But not everyone has the same benefit.
“We want to make sure that folks have access to infertility services if and when they need the and right now, it is so cost-prohibitive for so many people,” she explained.  “Infertility is one of, I think it might be the only medical diagnosis that you can get that doesn’t come with insurance coverage to treat it.”
A recent report by the Minnesota Department of Commerce evaluating an earlier version of the legislation determined that monthly insurance premiums would increase by less than 1%, but it could cost the state $60 million in the first year and $100 million by the 10th year of implementation.
May Quade said numbers are in dispute among state agencies trying to pinpoint the full scope of any state expenditures. She’s working in the interim in order to get a clearer picture of how much it would cost. 
“I think that the number is going to be so amenable to people that, because the first number was so banana pants, that I think it’s going to be really easy to be like, ‘Oh, it’s just that much? Let’s go.'” she said. 
If approved next year, Minnesota would join 22 other states with such requirements, but laws vary, according to Resolve. 
Berman noted there is already legislation in Congress aimed at increasing access to fertility treatments through insurance, so elected officials would not need to wait until after the election to act.  For Trump’s plan focused on IVF, A New York Times report adds that the change could also happen by persuading a panel of experts to add the procedure to a list of free preventative women’s health services established by the Affordable Care Act, the health law that Trump tried to repeal. 
State lawmakers this year mandated insurance coverage for other procedures or medical needs, like wigs for cancer patients and abortion in most circumstances.