When was the last time you talked about fertility treatments with your employees? If I had to guess, your answer was probably never — or, an employee asked to have a private conversation with you recently and asked what kind of coverage their health insurance plan offers regarding fertility treatments. In either case, the conversation isn’t easy, and it hasn’t been talked about in workplaces until recently.
Sensitivity is key with a topic like this. Here at Payday HCM, we’ve helped businesses navigate this important but sometimes difficult task while emphasizing the importance of respect and privacy for those seeking these kinds of benefits. Ultimately, ensuring everyone has access to the healthcare they need is priority number one.
In this article, we’ll go in-depth with fertility benefits. We’ll discuss what fertility benefits are and the types of services covered. We’ll also discuss implementing these benefits into your benefits package and the steps you can take to ensure your employees know they’re covered.
In this article, you will learn:
- What Fertility Benefits Are
- Services Covered with Fertility Benefits
- Implementing Fertility Benefits in Your Workplace
What Are Fertility Employee Benefits?
Understanding fertility benefits is the first step in understanding how to offer them to your employees. While the name certainly provides a good amount of clues as to what fertility benefits are, there are many more nuances that come with truly understanding them.
An Overview of Fertility Treatments
So, then, what actually are fertility treatments? Well, the most common kinds of services that can be thought of as fertility treatments are:
- In-vitro fertilization
- Infertility diagnosis
- Donor sperm or eggs
- Egg freezing
- Intrauterine insemination
Other services that can fall under this banner include gestational carrier services and adoption assistance as well.
History of Fertility Benefits
Historically, coverage for these types of services has been relatively uncommon. According to HR Brew, companies like Apple and Facebook were some of the first large corporations to offer coverage for egg freezing as a benefit.
Over time, the options and scope for what these benefits cover have expanded. However, the number of companies offering fertility benefits is still relatively small. According to the Harvard Business Review, over 80% of those who received fertility treatments had no or little insurance coverage.
Fertility Employee Benefits and What They Cover
According to a study looking at fertility treatment availability in geographically underserved areas, lack of insurance coverage can create a large barrier for those seeking treatment. Understanding what coverage you provide your employees is crucial in ensuring access to these treatments.
Costs of Fertility Treatments
Fertility treatments are pricey, and that’s one reason why offering fertility benefits can be so important for your company. According to Fertility Space, the cost of an average IVF treatment is about $17,690.
This does not include other additional costs, such as IVF medications (about $6,000), anesthesia for egg retrieval ($350-$750), and frozen embryo transfer ($3,860-$6,350 plus additional medication costs).
Coverage Options for Fertility Treatments
What coverage options are available for fertility treatments varies on a number of factors. When it comes to just strictly offering coverage, this can be as simple as negotiating with the insurance company to include coverage for fertility treatments in your company’s health insurance plan. You also have the option of offering coverage through a third-party service like Carrot or Kindbody.
What this coverage actually looks like can vary. Employers can opt to cover IVF treatments based on a more traditional maximum dollar amount (usually around $16,000) or based on the number of IVF cycles—a more equitable method for employees. IVF coverage based on cycles typically caps off at three cycles.
The most common type of treatment covered, though, is an evaluation by an infertility specialist, according to a study performed by Mercer. Coverage can then extend to drug therapy, IVF, and egg freezing.
It’s also important to look at whether your state mandates fertility coverage for employer-sponsored health insurance plans. New Mexico, for example, has no mandates. On the other hand, Massachusetts has one of the most comprehensive mandates around fertility treatments, requiring coverage for including IVF or intrauterine insemination with no cycle or dollar amount cap.
Implementation of Fertility Benefits
While adding fertility benefits to your company’s health insurance plan is the most important step to implementing fertility benefits, it doesn’t stop there. There are other considerations to keep in mind when looking at offering fertility benefits.
Communication With Your Employees
Communication is always key when it comes to benefits. According to the Pew Research Center, 33% of adults in the U.S. say that either they have or they know someone that has received some type of fertility treatment. Given these numbers, communicating to your employees that these benefits are available to them is crucial.
Not only is communication about the benefits crucial but opening up the conversation about these treatments is as well. It’s important to ensure your employees feel comfortable asking questions about their options when it comes to fertility treatments.
Choosing the Right Benefits for Your Company
You want to make sure the benefits you choose are the best fit for your company. Don’t just settle for what your current insurance company might offer: shop around and listen to your employees’ needs.
Not only that, but it’s important to ensure these benefits encompass everyone. Fertility benefits can often comply with a more heteronormative approach to health insurance coverage, so finding plans that benefit LGBTQ+ employees is a must.
Fertility Benefits That Benefit All
You never want your employees to feel like you can’t offer them the support they need. As an employer, it is priority number one that your employees feel looked after and cared for. Fertility benefits are becoming an essential component of that.
It doesn’t stop there, though. You can do so much to ensure your company’s benefits package helps everyone. Learn more about how to create a competitive benefits package that perfectly suits your company’s needs.
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