Donald Trump's call for free IVF coverage baffles Republicans in Congress

WASHINGTON Donald Trump's call to mandate free access to in vitro fertilization has intrigued Republicans in Congress, drawing a mix of skepticism and outright opposition across the party spectrum, from center-right lawmakers to far-right lawmakers.

Some worry about the high cost of such a policy. Others confess to not understanding what he is proposing. Still others wonder aloud whether Trump is serious. And many Trump allies said his announcement, in an interview with NBC News in August, surprised them.

“I am against universal health care and I do not support a plan at this time that would only fund IVF,” Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch Trump ally, said when asked about Trump’s plan. “I think it opens a door that Republicans are not prepared to open. I do not support government-mandated funding for IVF.”

Like more than a dozen other House and Senate Republicans who spoke to NBC News, Greene said she has nothing against IVF for those who seek it, but is unsure about a government mandate.

Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, said he wasn't sure what Trump was proposing when asked about his IVF remarks.

“I got the impression that maybe this was something he came up with on his own and wanted to get across,” Hawley said, adding that he hadn’t heard from Trump before the announcement. “He doesn’t bring his policy proposals to me.”

None of the Republicans interviewed by NBC News said they had heard directly from the president about his IVF proposal, even though it must be approved by Congress to become law. That reflects Trump’s often haphazard approach to policy, taking positions without a plan to follow through on them or even submitting them to key allies in his party, whose support is essential to implementing them.

“Under the Trump administration, we’re going to have to pay for this treatment,” Trump told NBC News last month when asked what he would do about IVF if elected. “We’re going to force the insurance companies to pay.”

Trump's decision to announce the proposal was unexpected, surprising even his advisers, according to a person familiar with the campaign's strategy. NBC News repeatedly asked the Trump campaign for more details on the plan. The person said it was unclear whether there was a plan.

Republican senators 'hesitant' to mandate IVF coverage

But there is little sign of Republican appetite for the plan in Congress. The party has rebelled against government-guaranteed health care and insurance mandates for a decade and a half, ever since Democrats put in place some free coverage requirements in the Affordable Care Act.

“I’m a little hesitant about a mandatory insurance policy. Is there another way to encourage this type of coverage through the private sector? That makes a lot more sense to me than a mandatory policy,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who said he was concerned about the cost. “We have a lot of things to pay for next year by extending the tax provisions. We have to take that into account.”

Sen. Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa, said mandates are not my style.

“I would prefer that the insurance companies make that decision,” she said. “But I can say that the Republican Party fully supports IVF, and I think that’s really important. We want to see more babies.”

Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, the ranking Republican on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said Trump has not contacted his team about the issue. He said he has more questions than answers about it.

Is it the government? Is it the private sector? We don't know how much it's going to cost. What effect will it have on the price of premiums? Cassidy said. You just need to know.

The cause of this phenomenon lies in fear tactics that claim IVF will not be available, which is simply not true, Cassidy said.

Some have questioned whether Trump was serious about his call for mandatory government coverage of IVF, or whether he was simply saying it to silence Democratic attacks that a Trump victory would threaten access to IVF. It has also become a major talking point for the Democratic Party in congressional elections after an Alabama Supreme Court ruling earlier this year forced clinics to suspend IVF treatments.

“I think it’s just a way for Trump to say he supports IVF,” said Sen. Cynthia Lummis, a Wyoming Republican, who noted that she also supports legal IVF, which is supported by 86 percent of Americans, according to a CBS News poll conducted in March, when the Alabama court issued its ruling threatening to end IVF.

I don't think we should go so far as to make IVF coverage mandatory, Lummis said. That just increases the cost of insurance. So I don't agree with him that it should be mandatory.

Yet Lummis and all but two Republican senators voted to block a Democratic bill aimed at protecting access to IVF earlier this year, saying the proposal was too broad.

Asked for comment, Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt did not address GOP criticism of her idea, but said Trump supports universal access to contraception and IVF and reiterated that he wants states to make decisions on abortion.

“I don't believe things should be free”

Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, said it would be ridiculous to make IVF free.

“I’m all for people making an individual decision about IVF. But the government doesn’t have the money. We have a $2 trillion deficit, so I’m not for asking the taxpayer to pay for it,” Paul said. People get emotional about an issue, so they decide to completely fold to a position they never really supported because they’re afraid of being blamed.

“I don't believe things should be free because that means you're not married or you don't have kids and you don't want them. You shouldn't have to pay for me to have kids,” the senator said in an interview. “That's ridiculous.”

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tennessee, said IVF is a very fluid topic and he wants to read any policy before taking a position. But government-backed coverage has not traditionally been a Republican position, and I don’t think it should start to be, he said.

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., a former chairman of the Conservative Republican Study Committee and a Senate candidate, said he has not seen a Trump policy plan on IVF to evaluate.

Well, we'll have to see what it looks like, he said. I don't know what it would look like to make it free.

Democrats claim Trump is lying and trying to deceive voters.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, laughed when asked if Trump supported mandatory IVF coverage.

Laugh out loud, Warren said. Donald Trump will say whatever he thinks will get him another vote. American women are not fools. If we were going to decide whether the federal government was going to protect access to and fund IVF, we already voted on it, and the Republicans all voted against it, including [Ohio Sen.] JD Vance, Donald Trump's running mate.

Trump has no credibility on this issue. None. Zero. Zero, she said.

Sen. Katie Britt, a Republican from Alabama, who was the first in her party to issue statements supporting IVF since her state court ruling, declined to say whether she had spoken to Trump or his team about her idea for an IVF coverage mandate.

President Trump has been the strongest supporter of IVF from the beginning, Britt said. So I'm excited to get started, but I'm proud that he's been so vocal.

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/donald-trump-plan-mandate-free-ivf-republicans-congress-opposition-rcna170327 The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos