Trump says if elected, he wants IVF treatment to be funded by government or insurance companies

POTTERVILLE, Michigan — Former President Donald Trump told NBC News on Thursday that if elected, his administration would not only protect access to in vitro fertilization, but also have the government or insurance companies cover the cost of the pricey service for American women who need it.

“We will, under the Trump administration, pay for that treatment,” Trump said, before adding: “We will mandate that the insurance company pay.”

Asked to clarify whether the government would pay for in vitro fertilization services or insurance companies would do it, Trump reiterated that one option would be for insurance companies to pay “by mandate, yes.”

Democrats have in recent months sharply criticized Republicans over in vitro fertilization, saying their restrictions on abortion could lead to restrictions on in vitro fertilization as well.

Earlier this year, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos created through in vitro fertilization should be treated as humans, prompting the state’s largest fertility clinics to halt in vitro fertilization treatments.