| Speaker | Time | Text |
|---|---|---|
|
unidentified
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Rubenstein. | |
| And what do you hope most people will take away from your book? | ||
| I think what I want them to take away from the book is that they should be proud of the court and I want them to be able, I want them to understand the way the court grapples with the legal questions that matter to the country. | ||
|
unidentified
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Watch America's Book Club with Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Sunday at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, only on C-SPAN. | |
| On Monday morning, it's a discussion on the media's role in investigating the origins of the COVID-19 virus. | ||
| From the Brookings Institution, we'll have live coverage at 10 a.m. Monday on C-SPAN, C-SPAN Now, our free mobile app, and online at c-span.org. | ||
| Joining us now to discuss recent Trump administration announcements aimed at expanding access to fertility care is Elise Powell. | ||
| She is the Government Affairs Director at RESOLVE, which is the National Infertility Association. | ||
| Elise, thank you for being with us this morning. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thanks for having me, Tammy. | |
| We will start by having you explain the mission of Resolve. | ||
| Who do you work with? | ||
| How are you funded? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Sure. | |
| So for more than 40 years, Resolve has been on the front lines fighting for access to fertility care, including IVF and all family building options. | ||
| We're here to support, educate, and empower anyone facing infertility, which affects about one in six people worldwide. | ||
| And we want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to build their family, whether it's through IVF treatments, adoption, or surrogacy. | ||
| The Trump administration recently announcing some actions that are aimed at expanding access to fertility care. | ||
| You just gave a number. | ||
| Put that into context. | ||
| How many people and who have fertility issues? | ||
| It's not just women. | ||
|
unidentified
|
It's not just women, that's correct. | |
| Infertility affects one in six people, so it's a very common medical issue. | ||
| It's important to remember that it's not just a women's issue. | ||
| About a third of infertility cases are related to male factor infertility. | ||
| About a third are related to female factor infertility. | ||
| And about a third of infertility is unexplained. | ||
| And infertility is a disease that can affect anyone. | ||
| And we hear IVF, we hear fertility treatment. | ||
| Explain what that means, what it typically entails. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Sure, when people talk about IVF, they're talking about a medical procedure where eggs are retrieved, fertilized in a lab, and then the embryo is transferred back into the uterus. | |
| And it's an incredibly safe and well-established procedure that's been helping families for more than 40 years. | ||
| But IVF isn't the only option for people who need medical intervention to build their families. | ||
| Fertility treatments also include diagnostic hormone testing, medications to help stimulate ovulation, and other procedures like intrauterine insemination. | ||
| We are going to jump in to those Trump administration actions, but wanted to let our audience know how they can call in. | ||
| You can start doing that right now. | ||
| The lines for this segment are broken down regionally. | ||
| If you are in the eastern or central time zone, your line is 202-748-8000. | ||
| If you are mountain or Pacific, it is 202-748-8001. | ||
| And wanted to let you know that if you have experience with infertility, there's a special line for you, and that is 202-748-8002. | ||
| Getting into these recent Trump administration actions, a couple different parts to it. | ||
| Let's start with the announcement and an agreement to reduce the cost of some IVF-associated drugs. | ||
| How common are fertility drugs? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Sure. | |
| So in February, the administration announced an executive order intended to expand access and make IVF more affordable for American families. | ||
| And they did this by making two important progress areas. | ||
| One is reducing the cost of IVF drugs that you mentioned, which can be up to 20% of the cost of a fertility care treatment. | ||
| And we know that fertility care drugs can run from about $3,000 to $6,000 per cycle, and many families often need more than one cycle to achieve a live birth. | ||
| How much do, and you mentioned the cost for drugs, but when it comes to the overall cost of an IVF cycle, how much is that? | ||
| And how will reducing the cost of the associated drugs impact the overall cost? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Sure, an average cycle of IVF can cost about $20,000. | |
| And every day we're hearing about people who are going through extraordinary lengths to pay for IVF. | ||
| We're hearing that folks are taking on second jobs, part-time jobs where their employer will cover their fertility care benefits. | ||
| They're taking out second mortgages in order to grow their family. | ||
| And while the president's actions won't eliminate the cost barrier that many families faced, lowering the cost of fertility medications will increase affordability for some families. | ||
| The other action the Trump administration announcing recently is issuing new federal guidance to encourage private employers to include fertility treatments in their insurance coverage. | ||
| How common is it for insurance companies to currently cover it and or how many private insurance plans currently have it as an option? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Sure. | |
| So right now there are about 15 states that have private insurance mandates for IVF and within those states we are seeing a wide-ranging variation in coverage. | ||
| So it's kind of a patchwork system at the moment and it is definitely something that we think that could be solved at the federal level with a federal insurance mandate so that everyone can have the access to the care that they need to build their families. | ||
| President Trump talked a lot about IVF on the campaign trail. | ||
| This was an issue that he has been pushing and working on. | ||
| You mentioned that bringing down the cost of drugs won't fix everything, but it's a start. | ||
| What is your organization's overall reaction to these announcements? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Exactly. | |
| So we think that it is a start. | ||
| We're still learning about how this will be implemented and how this will impact families going through infertility. | ||
| We don't feel that this fulfilled the campaign promise, but it is a step forward and there's absolutely more work to be done and Resolve will continue to fight for anyone that needs access to fertility care treatments and it's also been signaled that the White House is planning to do more and so Resolve will be there every step of the way to help inform patients about that. | ||
| When we look at other barriers to fertility treatments, not just the cost, what actions, what other actions would you like to see the Trump administration take? | ||
| What else would benefit individuals who are struggling with infertility? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Sure, I think first I would say a federal mandate requiring private insurers to cover infertility care benefits. | |
| I also think the high out-of-pocket cost is the biggest barrier and so that would be the best way to address it for the most amount of people. | ||
| And there are also other geographic and social and cultural barriers. | ||
| Many fertility clinics are located in major cities leaving rural patients without the access to care that they need and having to travel long distances. | ||
| And for some, the stigma or lack of information keeps them from seeking care as well. | ||
| Elise Powell is Government Affairs Director at Resolve. | ||
| She has joined us for a conversation on discussing the recent Trump administration actions aimed at increasing access to fertility care. | ||
| You can go ahead and give us a call. | ||
| The lines for the segment are regional. | ||
| If you're in the eastern or mountain time zone, it's 202-748-8000. | ||
| If you are mountain or Pacific, it's 202-748-8001. | ||
| And if you have experience with infertility, you can go ahead and give us a call at 202-748-8002. | ||
| Elise, want to go back to insurance open enrollment for those who use the ACA is going to open on November 1st. | ||
| President Trump's actions aimed at private insurance. | ||
| What about those who use the Obama marketplace? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Yeah, that's a great question, and that's something that Resolve is working on. | |
| We would love to see fertility care benefits added to essential health care benefit benchmark plans. | ||
| And a couple of states are considering this, and so we're working very closely with them and encouraging them to take that up so that more people can have access to the care they need to build their families. | ||
| This is a question coming in on X. | ||
| It says it's crazy that USA is even considering IVF when access to good prenatal care or even basic medical care is fractured. | ||
| What if a woman travels to a state on vacation that has closing hospitals? | ||
| Any reaction? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Yeah, I think that's an interesting question. | |
| I think I want to reiterate the fact that access to IVF care is still such a patchwork system, and folks in different states have access to different care. | ||
| And I think that that's an equity issue. | ||
| And we at Resolve are fighting for everyone to have access to the care that they need. | ||
| And I think it is fractured at the moment, but I think that this is a good step with this White House announcement in the right direction. | ||
| And so we're excited to be on the ground and working with the folks who are facing infertility to make sure that we're translating their needs to policymakers. | ||
| Another question coming in on X. How does the lack of termination care play into the risk when implementing IVF? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Sure. | |
| So I think that IVF is medical treatment just like any other health care treatment. | ||
| And so that's our focus at Resolve: getting people access to the care that they need. | ||
| Infertility is a disease, and it should be covered by insurance just like any other disease. | ||
| Nelson is calling from Florida. | ||
| Good morning, Nelson. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Good morning. | |
| Thanks for taking my call. | ||
| The reason I called is I'm in my 70s now, but in the 1970s, my wife underwent fertility treatment in order to become pregnant, of course. | ||
| And she did, and we had a lovely daughter, but her daughter was disabled and is disabled to this point, mentally handicapped disabled. | ||
| However, our son, who came about a year and a half later, was not disabled, but my wife did not undergo any kind of fertility treatment for him. | ||
| So my question is, is there any evidence or some kind of study regarding the fertility treatment of wives and mothers and whether or not there is any connection between fertility treatment and the disability of children who may be born disabled? | ||
| Is there any kind of a connection? | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| Thanks for that question. | ||
| There is not any connection between infertility care and disability. | ||
| I think infertility has been around, or IVF has been around for more than 40 years, and it's a very safe and well-regulated industry. | ||
| And there's been millions of babies born to Americans in the U.S. via IVF, and it's the best way for folks that need medical intervention to be able to build their families. | ||
| Diane is calling from Kansas on the line for Republicans. | ||
| Good morning, Diane. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Good morning. | |
| Yes, I am a Republican, a Trump supporter, and I appreciate people wanting this IVF treatment and assistance. | ||
| But Trump, of all people, did realize the word mandate is not an acceptable term or look at the COVID quote unquote mandate, the SHOT mandate. | ||
| This didn't go over. | ||
| This will not work on Trump's agenda and get my support at least. | ||
| There's too many other pressing needs in healthcare in this country. | ||
| Like I said, I'm glad people have an option like this, but mandate, absolutely not. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| Thanks for that. | ||
| I think that the president has been very supportive of IVF, and it's historic in our infertility space. | ||
| We've never had a president speak out about this issue in this way. | ||
| And so folks that have infertility are incredibly glad to see that this issue is being brought to the forefront and it's part of mainstream conversation. | ||
| And so we plan at Resolve to take that momentum and make sure that we can enforce policy and educate lawmakers to make sure that everybody has access to the care that they need in order to build their families. | ||
| The caller bringing up a point of requiring insurances to cover the cost. | ||
| That's not what the Trump administration is doing. | ||
| They are encouraging private employers to add this type of coverage. | ||
| Do we know what that could do to the overall cost of insurance plans for individuals or how that could work? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Sure. | |
| So we've seen in a few states that have state mandates that the cost to employers has been anywhere from cents to a couple of dollars. | ||
| We like to say it resolve maybe a cup of coffee in terms of increasing premiums. | ||
| So the cost actually is really not that significant. | ||
| And the benefit for employers and their ability to retain and support and encourage people to stay at their places of work has been really beneficial. | ||
| Elise Powell is the Government Affairs Director at Resolve. | ||
| That is the National Infertility Association. | ||
| You can find the organization online at resolve.org. | ||
| Elise, thank you so much for your time. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you. | |
| C-SPAN's Washington Journal, our live forum inviting you to discuss the latest issues in government, politics, and public policy. | ||
| From Washington to across the country. | ||
| Coming up Sunday morning, we'll talk with Republican pollster BJ Martino and Democratic pollster Nancy Zedankowicz on the politics surrounding the government shutdown and campaign 2026. | ||
| And Brookings Institution's Patricia Kim covers President Trump's trip to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum and his upcoming meeting with China's Xi Jinping. | ||
| C-SPAN's Washington Journal. | ||
| Join in the conversation live at 7 Eastern Sunday morning on C-SPAN, C-SPAN Now, our free mobile app, or online at c-span.org. | ||
| Watch America's Book Club, C-SPAN's bold new original series. | ||
| Sunday, with our guest, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, only the fifth woman to serve on the high court and author of the book, Listening to the Law. | ||
| She joins our host, renowned author and civic leader David Rubinstein. | ||
| And what do you hope most people will take away from your book? | ||
| I think what I want them to take away from the book is that they should be proud of the court and I want them to be able, I want them to understand the way the court grapples with the legal questions that matter to the country. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Watch America's Book Club with Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Sunday at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, only on C-SPAN. | |
| On Monday, two former Justice Department officials will discuss whether the DOJ has become too politicized in recent years. | ||
| Hosted by Georgetown University, watch live at 4 p.m. Eastern on C-SPAN, C-SPAN Now, our free mobile video app, and C-SPAN.org. | ||
| Welcome back. | ||
| We are in open form for the duration. | ||
| Today's Washington Journal. | ||
| We will start with LaShana. | ||
| He's calling from Arlington, Texas, on the line for Democrats. | ||
| Good morning, LaShana. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Hey, how are you doing? | |
| Oh, LaShawn, good morning. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Good morning. | |
| How you doing? | ||
| Doing well. | ||
| Go ahead. |