Trump’s IVF promise is being broken and will hit 175,000 Wisconsin women with fertility issues

Report says White House has no plans to press for a private insurance mandate or government support, despite repeated promises by the self-described “fertilization president”

Nearly 200,000 women in Wisconsin who say they have had fertility and pregnancy issues stood to benefit from President Donald Trump’s campaign promise that “the government is going to pay for IVF, or we’ll mandate your insurance company to pay for it.” 

However, a Washington Post report from administration insiders says there is no plan to require coverage by insurance companies or provide direct financial support. Instead, they say there are plans to require a “holistic” approach to infertility, such as adopting healthier lifestyles.

A Green Bay-based obstetrician-gynecologist, Dr. Kristin Lyerly, was always skeptical of Trump’s pledge.

“We knew it was a lie from the beginning,” Lyerly said, “because I know how hard it is to get insurance companies to cover fertility issues. I also know how much my patients who are struggling with fertility issues suffer and how much they were hoping and banking on Donald Trump’s words when he called himself the father of IVF and said that he was going to ensure that they could get coverage.”

She added, “So yeah, they’re crushed and they should be. He used them.”

Republicans point to the Trump megabill —a mix of massive budget cuts, tax breaks geared toward the wealthy, and record deficit spending — for creating new investment accounts at birth, with the first $1,000 of these “baby bonds” coming from the government. Other language in the bill increases tax credits related to children. 

Interviewed on the UpNorthNews radio show “Mornings with Pat Kreitlow,” Lyerly was dismissive of the idea that it counters the broken IVF promise.

“Are you kidding? It costs $25,000 for some people to go through a cycle of IVF and many people need more than one cycle.” 

The only step Trump has taken toward keeping his promise was signing an executive order in February that called on his Domestic Policy Council to lower out-of-pocket costs for IVF. That move created a surge in demand for donor eggs that could be used for prospective parents who had hoped Trump would follow-through on his promise.

Despite the lack of a federal mandate, state legislatures have been taking action to require that health insurers who want to operate in their states cover fertility treatments. At least 21 states have taken such action — Wisconsin is not one of them, as Republican leadership in the past two sessions has so far failed to take action on a proposal. Some Democrats say Trump’s failure to follow through on his promise is an opportunity for their party to make it a prominent part of their 2026 platform.