Senate Republicans block bill to mandate insurance coverage of IVF treatment, float alternatives

Senate Republicans, for the second time this year, blocked a bill to mandate health insurance coverage of fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization.

Democrats opted to squeeze Republicans again on the issue after former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, announced he would go even further in supporting IVF treatments and ensure they are covered free of cost to the patient.

"Under the Trump administration, your government will pay for, or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for, all costs associated with IVF treatment — fertilization for women because we want more babies, to put it very nicely," Mr. Trump said at a campaign stop in Michigan last month. "We are going to pay for it, and it will help families."

Senate Democrats' bill does not go as far as to provide for free IVF treatment, but it would ensure federal and private employer health plans provide some coverage of fertility treatments. It would also codify the right to such treatments.

"If Republicans are serious about supporting IVF, if Trump's promise to help families pay for it is more than just bluster, there is no reason we can't pass this bill into law and help a lot of people," said Sen. Patty Murray, Washington Democrat, ahead of the vote. "Republicans need to realize families have been listening to what they say — and today they are going to be watching how they vote."

Just like in the first failed attempt to advance the bill in June, only two Republicans — Sens. Susan M. Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — joined Democrats in voting for the IVF measure.

Other Republicans dismissed the Democratic bill as a "show vote" and said they opposed it in part because it overrides existing religious protections for reproductive health care.

"There's not a single state in which IVF is threatened," said Sen. Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Republican. "So this is about gaining political advantage in a presidential race. It's not about addressing a true need."

Mr. Cassidy, the top Republican on the Senate committee with jurisdiction over health care policy, said Mr. Trump's proposal to provide free IVF coverage is also about presidential politics.

While Mr. Cassidy did not outright oppose the idea of mandating IVF coverage, he said there are policy and market considerations that would need to be "thoroughly weighed."

"Obviously, it would increase premiums," Mr. Cassidy said. "If it increases premiums, what does that do to the overall affordability of insurance?"

Some Republicans floated alternative bills to protect and expand access to IVF.

The primary GOP alternative is a measure from Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Katie Britt of Alabama that would prevent states from banning IVF if they want to continue receiving federal Medicaid funding.

Mr. Cruz sought unanimous consent to pass the measure on Tuesday, but Democrats objected. He argued Democrats do not actually want a bipartisan solution that protects IVF and are only "staging the show vote" on their bill to create a narrative for their political campaigns.

"The Democrats are going to spend millions of dollars arguing that Republicans are opposed to IVF and ignoring the fact that it is Democrats standing up and objecting that prevent it from being protected in federal law," Mr. Cruz said.

Democrats also objected to Sen. Rick Scott's effort Monday to pass his bill that would expand access to Health Savings Accounts and double the contribution limits to $8,600 for individuals and $17,100 for families.

"The real-world impact of my bill is that millions of Americans will be able to save more money in tax-free accounts to pay for medical expenses like IVF," Mr. Scott said, chastising Democrats for blocking it.