Graham says he wouldn’t support insurance company mandate for IVF treatment

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday said he would not support the idea of mandating insurance companies to cover in vitro fertilization treatments, a proposal floated by former President Trump last week.

When asked if he would back the proposal, Graham said, “No … no, because there’s no end to that.”

Trump last Thursday said his administration would protect access to IVF and have either the government or insurance companies pay for the treatment if he’s elected in November.

“We are going to be — under the Trump administration, we are going to be paying for that treatment,” he said in an exclusive interview with NBC News, adding that would apply to “all Americans who get it; all Americans who need it.”

“So, we’re going to be paying for that treatment, or we’re going to be mandating that the insurance companies pay,” he added.

He did not expand on how the mandate would look, but maintained he was “always for IVF,” NBC reported.

Graham, instead, suggested a tax credit for people who use IVF and other treatments to become pregnant.

“We have tax credits for people who have children. Maybe we should have a means tested tax credit for people using IVF and other treatments to become pregnant,” Graham said. “I would support a tax credit, means tested, kind of like we do with children. That makes sense to me, to encourage people to have children.

The South Carolina Republican maintained the party is not against birth control or IVF treatments.

“I think he’s [Trump] just trying to show his support for IVF treatments that, you know, we’ve been accused, the party has, of being a bit — against birth control. We’re not. We’ve been accused of being against IVF treatments. We’re not,” he said.

He later suggested the GOP could find “common ground” with their Democratic colleagues.

Vice President Harris’s presidential campaign slammed Trump’s pledge to pay for IVF, claiming it is “one of his most brazen lies yet.” 

“Donald Trump’s own platform could effectively ban IVF and abortion nationwide. Trump lies as much, if not more, than he breathes, but voters aren’t stupid. Because Trump overturned Roe v. Wade, IVF is already under attack and women’s freedoms have been ripped away in states across the country,” Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said in a statement. 

IVF has been a central focus for political figures and voters alike in the past year, especially following the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling that frozen embryos and fertilized eggs are considered people under law, and anyone who destroys them can be held liable for their death.

IVF services were mostly halted in the state in reaction to the ruling, though lawmakers quickly passed legislation to address civil and criminal liability for IVF providers, allowing services to resume.

The Trump-Vance campaign, like the larger Republican party ahead of the 2024 election, has largely sought to sidestep issues related to abortion and reproductive rights, given the unpopularity of its anti-abortion agenda among voters since Roe v. Wade was overturned two years ago. 

The former president has repeatedly been blamed by Democrats for the reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022, after he appointed three of the justices who voted with a 6-3 majority in the landmark decision.