Oregon – U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer joined President Trump at the White House Friday to applaud new federal actions aimed at lowering the cost of fertility treatments and expanding access to in vitro fertilization (IVF).
The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury jointly released new guidance to help employers design standalone benefit packages covering fertility treatments. The move follows President Trump’s announcement of a third most-favored-nation agreement designed to reduce the cost of fertility medications and procedures.
“President Trump is once again keeping his promises by taking decisive action to make health care more affordable for women,” said Secretary Chavez-DeRemer. “We’re cutting red tape, empowering employers to offer fertility benefits, and putting American families first.”
The new guidance, issued under Executive Order 14216: “Expanding Access to In Vitro Fertilization,” clarifies how employers can offer fertility benefits through existing categories of excepted benefits or reimbursement arrangements. Federal officials also plan to propose new rules to broaden the ways fertility coverage can qualify as a limited excepted benefit.
The agencies said they are considering updates to standards for supplemental health insurance coverage to ensure that fertility benefits meet the requirements for excepted benefit status.
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