How Trump IVF policies could accelerate fertility benefit trends

• Key Insight: Discover how federal policy and pharma pricing are normalizing employer-funded IVF benefits.
• What's at Stake: Employers risk recruitment and retention losses if benefits lag evolving reproductive expectations.
• Supporting Data: EMD Serono deal offers up to 84% discount off IVF therapy list prices.
• Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review

Benefit managers should take note of recent policy changes by the Trump administration aimed at making in vitro fertilization more affordable. It's the latest validation that providing reproductive benefits is now table stakes. 

"Anything that the government's doing that's going to impact cost and access or reduce regulation is just accelerating a trend that's already in place," says Dr. Roger Shedlin, CEO of WIN. "This is among the most popular benefits … and more and more employers are offering this."

EMD Serono, one of the world's leading manufacturers of fertility medications, has agreed to provide discounts for the cost of fertility drugs the company sells in the U.S. The company said it would make its IVF drugs available at a lower cost through TrumpRx starting early next year.

The news of the deal with EMD Serono follows recent changes at the state level, where an increasing number of states are now requiring that insurance companies cover infertility diagnosis and treatment, including IVF.

Read more: WIN's new benefit supports women through high risk pregnancies

Benefit leaders have been adapting to this growing trend, realizing that offering a strong reproductive benefit package is good for recruitment, retention and productivity, Shedlin says. What was once a niche benefit only offered by tech and financial service companies has expanded to industries of all sizes. 

"We've also seen the benefits become more inclusive over time, which allows same sex couples and single by choice parents to use this," Shedlin says. "The dollar limit or the cycle limit of these benefits also continue to rise, so we've seen benefit executives all along responding to these trends."  

How much will families save?

According to a news release from EMD Serono, Americans will see an 84% discount off list prices for IVF therapies under the agreement with the Trump administration. Shedlin said it's too early to know exactly how much families will save on these treatments, but he added that costs were already very competitive before the deal was announced. 

Using his own company as an example, Shedlin pointed out that having clinical management of fertility benefits at WIN allows for better success rates. "We see upward of 30% better pregnancy rates and over 30% better live birth rates," he said. "For the companies paying for these cycles, if you're having better success rates you're doing fewer cycles." 

Read more: New baby, now what? Benefits to support postpartum moms

"We also are better able to coordinate these benefits between the medical and pharmacy side, and manage costs through competitive pricing on the pharmacy side and the medical side." 

Improving access to fertility care and lowering the cost will likely increase demand, but Shedlin doesn't expect that to lead to any drug shortages. While there have been some manufacturing challenges over the years, the medications used for the treatments have been on the market for a long time and pharmaceutical companies have typically had adequate supplies. 

In the event of a supply-chain issue, benefit managers can step in and either stockpile a drug or look for a comparable substitute, Shedlin says. 

A win for families

Part of WIN's mission of the last 25-plus years has been to democratize fertility benefits, and Shedlin welcomes any efforts from the federal government to expand access.

Read more: Flora Fertility is giving employees control of their benefits — while lowering costs

Public opinion polls show that Americans on both sides of the aisle support IVF, which now makes up more than 2% of births in the U.S. 

"The industry has advanced so far over the last few decades in terms of the ability to successfully support family building journeys," Shedlin says. "This is really good medicine, and employees are not only asking for this, but incredibly grateful for and loyal to employers that offer it."