Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner's father and in-laws paid for him and his wife to receive fertility treatments in Norway, according to a new report, which came after Platner repeatedly said he could not afford such treatments in the United States. It's the latest sign of how Platner, who describes himself as a "working-class Mainer," has relied on his wealthy family for support. His father also loaned him the money to buy his house.
Platner has made the fertility treatments a centerpiece of his messaging on health care, saying he and his wife, Amy Gertner, 40, had to go to Norway for in vitro fertilization in January because they could not afford the "astronomical" costs for treatment in the United States. In repeated interviews, he suggested that he paid for the treatments himself.
But Platner's family—his father and in-laws—covered the costs of the IVF treatments as well as travel and lodging in Norway, the New York Times reported, citing a "person with knowledge of the financial arrangement" as well as Platner's campaign. According to Platner, IVF in the United States averages around $25,000 per round of treatments, versus just $5,500 in Norway, a popular destination for so-called fertility tourists.
"The expense of this in the United States is astronomical," Platner said in a January campaign video. "It needs to be available to absolutely everyone in this country, just like health care."
"We don't have that money. That's ridiculous," Platner added in an NBC News interview alongside his wife, Amy Gertner. The Midcoast Villager, which first reported on the Platners' IVF trip abroad, said the Platners "looked into paying out of pocket, and found that in Boston, the closest option to where they lived in Sullivan, the start-up costs alone would be $25,000 for a single round—far more than they can afford."
The cost of fertility tourism to Norway is significantly less expensive than in the United States, but it is still out of reach of many Americans. IVF costs are complicated and vary wildly by couple, but a full IVF cycle involving Norway (most fertility tourists only undergo the most expensive part of IVF in Norway) can cost as much as $15,000, plus the stiff costs associated with traveling to one of Europe's most expensive countries. Couples also need the flexibility to spend about two weeks overseas.
Platner has said that, if he is elected to the Senate, he hopes to provide Norwegian-style pricing to "working people" in the United States as part of a government-funded universal health care system.
"The Senate campaign is a way of making sure that other people do not have to go through the exact same things that we've been through, where we can help build power in order to go get things that working people in this country need—like a universal health care system that provides fertility support," Platner, who is set to face Republican senator Susan Collins in November, said in a the January video.
The Platners, however, are not a template for a typical working-class family, who would not likely be able to afford Norwegian fertility tourism or, in many cases, be able to take off so much time from work. Indeed, Platner, a former Marine who now runs a boutique oyster farm, did not mention the financial support from his family in the numerous campaign videos and interviews he has done on the topic of fertility. It's part of a broader pattern of Platner casting himself as a blue-collar champion while getting by with significant financial support from his family and wealthy friends.
Platner attended two private college preparatory schools as well as private George Washington University (he did not graduate) and comes from a family of educated professionals. His father, an attorney, loaned Platner $200,000 to purchase a house in Sullivan, Maine, in 2017, the Washington Free Beacon reported (the Platner campaign says Platner is slowly paying his father back). Platner's main claim as a blue-collar everyman—his oyster business, Frenchman Bay Oyster Company—includes an Ivy League-educated business partner, Robert Cushman III, who graduated from an elite boarding school in New England and is an owner of the Maine island where the oyster farm is based, the Free Beacon reported.
Platner's grandfather was a world-renowned architect who designed the Ford Foundation's iconic Manhattan headquarters, according to his 2006 Times obituary. Platner's grandfather was also known for his line of furniture, including the "Platner Easy Chair," which now retails for as much as $2,000 each.
Platner's campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
