PixelPenguin
Well-known member
Trump's IVF announcement underwhelms even his own supporters as it promises only partial relief from the hefty costs associated with fertility treatments.
The former President had promised to make in vitro fertilization (IVF) free for Americans during his 2024 re-election campaign, but his latest plan reveals that he intends to reduce the cost of IVF treatment rather than making it entirely free. Instead, he will be urging employers to cover IVF treatments and has negotiated with pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription fertility drug costs.
Critics argue that this plan falls short of Trump's original promises and won't make a significant dent in affordability. With 60% of people under 65 having insurance through their jobs, the remaining 40% who have public coverage or buy their own plans will still struggle to afford IVF treatments, which can cost between $15,000 to $20,000 per cycle.
Many experts and advocates also express disappointment with Trump's plan as it doesn't provide mandatory coverage for IVF. Nancy Northup, President of the Center for Reproductive Rights, stated that the administration's plan "is not nearly enough." Sean Tipton, Chief Advocacy and Policy Officer at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, also expressed his dissatisfaction with Trump's plan.
Furthermore, the announcement was made during a government shutdown, which could lead to increased monthly health insurance premiums if cost savings from IVF drugs are eaten up by these increases. Anti-abortion leaders were not pleased with the announcement, with Kristan Hawkins stating that "IVF kills more babies than abortion."
The controversy surrounding Trump's IVF plan highlights the challenges of balancing pro-life views with reproductive rights in the US healthcare system. The Republican-controlled Senate had previously blocked a bill sponsored by Senator Tammy Duckworth to require employer-sponsored plans and public insurance, including Medicaid and military TRICARE plans, to cover fertility treatments.
In conclusion, while Trump's IVF plan aims to ease some of the financial burden associated with fertility treatments, it falls short of his original promises and will likely leave many Americans struggling to afford these treatments.
The former President had promised to make in vitro fertilization (IVF) free for Americans during his 2024 re-election campaign, but his latest plan reveals that he intends to reduce the cost of IVF treatment rather than making it entirely free. Instead, he will be urging employers to cover IVF treatments and has negotiated with pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription fertility drug costs.
Critics argue that this plan falls short of Trump's original promises and won't make a significant dent in affordability. With 60% of people under 65 having insurance through their jobs, the remaining 40% who have public coverage or buy their own plans will still struggle to afford IVF treatments, which can cost between $15,000 to $20,000 per cycle.
Many experts and advocates also express disappointment with Trump's plan as it doesn't provide mandatory coverage for IVF. Nancy Northup, President of the Center for Reproductive Rights, stated that the administration's plan "is not nearly enough." Sean Tipton, Chief Advocacy and Policy Officer at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, also expressed his dissatisfaction with Trump's plan.
Furthermore, the announcement was made during a government shutdown, which could lead to increased monthly health insurance premiums if cost savings from IVF drugs are eaten up by these increases. Anti-abortion leaders were not pleased with the announcement, with Kristan Hawkins stating that "IVF kills more babies than abortion."
The controversy surrounding Trump's IVF plan highlights the challenges of balancing pro-life views with reproductive rights in the US healthcare system. The Republican-controlled Senate had previously blocked a bill sponsored by Senator Tammy Duckworth to require employer-sponsored plans and public insurance, including Medicaid and military TRICARE plans, to cover fertility treatments.
In conclusion, while Trump's IVF plan aims to ease some of the financial burden associated with fertility treatments, it falls short of his original promises and will likely leave many Americans struggling to afford these treatments.
... Like, I get that it's a big deal for a lot of people, but this plan just seems like more empty promises from Trump's camp 
. Reducing costs and having employers cover some treatments isn't exactly going to make a huge difference for the 40% of ppl who don't have insurance or can't afford it 
. And not making it mandatory? Come on, that's just a cop-out 
. I mean, I'm all for giving ppl options, but when it comes to something as important as having kids, shouldn't we be doing more than just tweaking the system? 
The fact that anti-abortion folks are already talking smack about IVF is wild 
... like, can't we just focus on making healthcare accessible for everyone instead of getting caught up in all these ideological battles? 
like, i know trump wants to help but $15k to $20k per cycle is still way outta range for a lot of ppl 
what if they cant get insurance through their job? and dont even get me started on the pharmaceutical companies 
can we just make it free already?!? 
i feel like trump's plan is all about saving face rather than actually helping people 
. It's like Trump thought, 'Hey, employers will just magically cover this?' I don't think so 
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. You managed to appease some people without actually making it free, which is basically the bare minimum for something that's still super expensive. And of course, you had to cave to anti-abortion folks and bring up the whole "IVF kills babies" thing... real classy move 
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. This plan's just gonna make it harder for couples who wanna start families, especially those on the lower end of the income scale 
. And what really grinds my gears is that it was announced during a shutdown... like, can't they get their act together for once? 
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what happened to his promise tho? anyway, i guess this whole thing is just a reminder that politics can be super complicated 
! I mean, come on, who wants to pay $15,000 - $20,000 for a single cycle of treatment? That's like the cost of buying a brand new car 
. And now he's trying to get employers to cover it? That's not exactly what I'd call "making it free" 
. Can't we just try to find common ground and support families who need help with fertility treatments without all the back-and-forth? 
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dont think trumps plan does enough to help out all americans its like he thinks people can just magically afford $15k+ cycles or whats up with employers not covering it?? how r ppl supposed 2 pay rent/mortgages w/ these huge costs?