Vance was asked about financing

Republican presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance offered few details Friday when asked about how former President Donald Trump would implement his recent plan to require that the state or private insurers to cover the prices of in vitro fertilization treatments.

“Is this an expansion of Obamacare? Is this a mandate?” CNN anchor John Berman asked the Ohio senator.

“Well, look, I think there are insurance companies that are obviously forced to cover a whole range of benefits,” Vance replied.

“The president has specifically said he wants insurers to cover additional fertility treatments,” he added, more broadly blaming Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris for the high costs to consumers.

Trump had revealed the IVF policy in broad terms during a campaign rally in Michigan a day earlier.

“I am making an important statement today that under the Trump administration, your government will cover all costs associated with IVF treatment – or your insurance company will be required to cover them,” he said.

Later he told NBC News that a future Trump administration would “pay for this treatment,” but added, “We will require the insurance company to pay.”

IVF is utilized in the overwhelming majority of assisted reproductive procedures for infertility. But it might probably prohibitively expensivestarting from $15,000 to over $30,000 for a single IVF cycle, and based on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a median of two.5 cycles are needed to change into pregnant.

The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology said almost 390,000 IVF cycles were carried out within the 368 member clinics in 2022, a rise of 6% over the previous yr.

Based on a average acquisition cost of $20,000 According to Trump's plan, either taxpayers or private insurers would should pay nearly $8 billion annually for every IVF round.

If IVF treatments were also offered with none co-payment, Routine examinations and mammograms covered by the Affordable Health Care Act, the variety of patients looking for such treatment would likely increase dramatically.

Trump's commitment to IVF as a political program is the previous president's latest try and court voters who care about women's reproductive rights.

Recent surveys by Presidential election show that Harris has a transparent lead over Trump amongst female voters.

The lead reflects a broader shift within the electorate because the Supreme Court in 2022 overturned Roe v. Wade, which had protected federal abortion rights for nearly 50 years.

The majority bloc on this case, “Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization,” included three conservative judges nominated by Trump.

In the 2 years because the Dobbs decision 22 states According to the New York Times, most U.S. states have either enacted blanket abortion bans or restrictions that transcend the previous standard under Roe.

Trump has repeatedly campaigned for the abolition of Roe, while falsely claiming that experts on all political sides unanimously want the abortion issue to be decided by individual states somewhat than the federal government.

During his third candidacy, Trump sought to curry favor with anti-abortion activists and interest groups concurrently distancing himself from the states that tightened their abortion restrictions after the Dobbs case.

He has also spoken out against proposals by a few of his Republican allies, including Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who’re looking for a federal ban on abortion. The Republican Party adopted a brand new platform backed by Trump in July that significantly softens its stance on abortion.

The Harris team has nevertheless repeatedly warned that if Trump were to win a second term within the White House, he would impose a nationwide ban on abortion.

IVF was at the middle of the reproductive rights dispute in February, when an Alabama Supreme Court ruling prompted fertility treatment providers within the state to suspend their services for fear of legal risk.

Democrats were quick to link the event to Trump and Dobbs, with Trump in turn urging the state to seek out an answer that might “preserve the availability of IVF in Alabama.”

In Friday's CNN interview, Vance was asked how Trump's recent federally mandated IVF funding plan would work if a state selected to ban the procedure.

Vance responded, “I think that's a completely ridiculous hypothesis,” adding that Alabama “has actively protected access to fertility treatments and fertility care.”

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed a law in early March to guard IVF and end the controversy surrounding the court ruling. However, several IVF clinics within the state have closed within the wake of the controversy.

Vance was also repeatedly asked about Trump's recent comments on a hotly contested ballot measure that might extend abortion rights in Florida until the fetus is viable, which is often around 24 weeks of pregnancy.

If passed, the ballot measure, often known as Amendment 4, would override a bill signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis last yr that banned most abortions in Florida after six weeks of pregnancy – a stage when many ladies don’t yet know they’re pregnant.

“I will vote that we need more than six weeks of access to legalized abortion,” Trump told NBC's Dasha Burns on Thursday.

Trump's response sparked fierce criticism from distinguished anti-abortion activists.

“A vote for FL Amendment 4 is a vote for China and Harris's limitless abortion policies,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the national anti-abortion group SBA Pro-Life America, on the social media site X.

“This would eliminate the contrast between Trump and Harris,” she wrote, tagging Trump's social media account.

In the face of fierce criticism from anti-abortion activists, Trump's presidential campaign team attempted to walk back his comments and leave some ambiguity about how he would vote on Amendment 4.

“President Trump has not yet said how he will vote on the Florida referendum. He has only reiterated that he believes six weeks is too short,” the campaign said in a press release.

On Friday, Vance insisted to CNN that Trump's stance on abortion was “extremely consistent,” but he also stressed that Trump has not yet made up his mind on Amendment 4.