On Feb. 18, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order with the intention of lowering costs and reducing barriers to in vitro fertilization. The order gives resources to military families who currently face the crippling costs of infertility treatments that go uncovered by TRICARE insurance.
The executive order requires the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy to submit a list to the president within 90 days consisting of policy recommendations on protecting IVF access and reducing out-of-pocket and health plan costs for IVF treatment.
“My Administration recognizes the importance of family formation, and as a Nation, our public policy must make it easier for loving and longing mothers and fathers to have children,” the order states. “Therefore, to support American families, it is the policy of my Administration to ensure reliable access to IVF treatment, including by easing unnecessary statutory or regulatory burdens to make IVF treatment drastically more affordable.”
Julie Eshelman, founder of Building Military Families Network, thinks the executive order is a positive first step that will hopefully lead to a broader range of options for military families struggling to conceive.
“We’re making progress,” Eshelman said. “I definitely don’t think it goes far enough because it’s just an executive order. But we’re thrilled that this is something he is considering. We’re making these incremental steps toward the end goal.”
Eshelman started Building Military Families Network after she and her husband, Andrew, a major in the Active Guard Reserve assigned to the James Madison University Army ROTC program, experienced infertility. They learned firsthand the financial and logistical barriers American families face when pursuing IVF treatment, suffering multiple miscarriages while paying tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket. The Eshelmans were finally successful after years of struggle when Julie gave birth to their daughter, Millie, in 2021.
Like most American health insurance, TRICARE does not cover the cost of IVF unless infertility is due to a service-connected injury or illness. Service members and their families receive coverage for diagnostics and treatment of injury or illness of the reproductive system, as well as diagnostic services for causes of infertility such as semen analysis, hormone evaluation and chromosomal studies. But IVF can cost between $15,000 and $30,000 for a single cycle, and most people require multiple cycles due to inconsistent success rates.
Eshelman, who won the Fort Leavenworth Military Spouse of the Year® award in 2022, is optimistic that even if Trump’s executive order doesn’t result in immediate change, progress may be imminent on the legislative front. A bill mandating TRICARE coverage for IVF had bipartisan support in both houses of Congress last year but did not make it into the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act.
“That was a little bit of a heartbreak because we got so close,” Eshelman said. But she believes the country is on the precipice of real change in regard to infertility treatment coverage. “It is a marathon, and we’re in it for the long haul to try and get this done.”
