Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said Sunday he was “open” to former President Trump to have a suggestion The state or health insurance companies cover the costs of in vitro fertilization (IVF).
“As far as I know, all Republicans in Congress support IVF. And there is no state that bans IVF or regulates it in a way that makes it inaccessible,” Cotton said in an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” “For many couples, it’s expensive. I understand that. So I’m open to it, and most Republicans would be open to it.”
The Republican senator said the financial impact must first be assessed: “Whether the taxpayer can afford to pay for it” and “what impact it would have on premiums.”
“But fundamentally, supporting couples who want to try artificial insemination or other fertility treatments is, in my opinion, not controversial at all,” he said.
Trump said Thursday that his administration would protect access to IVF and have the treatment paid for by either the government or health insurance companies if he is elected in November.
“We will – under the Trump administration – pay for this treatment,” he said in an exclusive interview with NBC Newsand added that it applies “to all Americans who get it; all Americans who need it.”
“So we will pay for this treatment or we will force the insurance companies to pay,” he added.
Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker noted that Cotton voted against a Senate bill that would have protected and expanded access to IVF and required health insurance to cover the cost.
Cotton called Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) bill a “ridiculous news bill” and pointed out that the bill also contains numerous other measures that Schumer “cobbled together.”
“It is a bill that would have also protected and expanded access to armored personnel carriers. So it’s a no,” Welker replied.
When asked where the money to fund IVF under Trump’s proposal would come from, Cotton said he would have to “review each specific bill.”
Welker then said Cotton was undecided on whether the government would fund IVF treatment, saying, “I am certainly in favor of allowing couples access to IVF, and it is not a controversial issue in any of the 50 states.”
Cotton’s Republican colleague, Senator Lindsey Graham (SC), said he would not support the idea of requiring insurance companies to cover the costs of IVF treatments.
When asked if he would support the proposal, Graham said: “No… no, because it never ends.”
Instead, Graham proposed a tax credit for people who exploit IVF and other treatments to become pregnant.
