Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on Sunday said he and most other Republicans would be “open” to supporting a plan proposed by former president Donald Trump that would have either the government or insurance companies pay for in-vitro fertilization services.
“It’s something I’m open to, that most Republicans would be open to,” Cotton said during an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” adding that he’d first need to “evaluate the fiscal impact” and consider “whether the taxpayer can afford to pay for this, what impact it would have on premiums.”
“In principle, supporting couples who are trying to use IVF or other fertility treatments — I don’t think that’s controversial at all,” Cotton added.
His remarks come a few days after Trump told NBC News that if elected, his administration would “be mandating that the insurance company pay” for fertility services like IVF.
Pressed to clarify his plan in that interview, Trump said that one option would be for insurance companies to be forced to pay for fertility services “under a mandate, yes.”
On Sunday, moderator Kristen Welker pressed Cotton about his support for Trump’s plan, pointing to the fact that earlier this year he voted against the Right to IVF Act, which would have mandated IVF coverage in federal health care plans, the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid plans.
Cotton slammed the bill, describing it as “[Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer’s ridiculous messaging bill,” adding that Schumer spent the last few months “slapping together ridiculous bills that he thinks are going to help his liberal incumbent senators face off in their elections.”
IVF has become an increasingly political issue, with Democrats blaming Republicans for threatening access to fertility and reproductive care.
Earlier this year, fertility clinics across Alabama paused their IVF care after the state’s Supreme Court ruled that embryos are people, sending fear among reproductive rights groups that abortion bans in states controlled by Republicans could impact other reproductive care in those states.
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