Despite political shift, employers double down on inclusive benefits like fertility care
As more companies make changes to diversity, equity and inclusion programming and other organizational priorities amid political shifts, many are maintaining and continuing to expand some of their inclusive benefits – like fertility care.
Nearly 70% of employers are planning to expand family health benefits, which include fertility care, in the next two to three years – a 44% increase year over year, according to a report from Maven, an employer- sponsored fertility care provider, including responses from a survey conducted among over 1,500 respondents in the HR and benefits space.
“We actually have heard nothing about rolling them back or ending them, and in fact, we hear more of the same, which is about employers who are newly offering them or expanding them,” said Shelly MacConnell, chief strategy officer at family building company WIN fertility.
Corporate-sponsored fertility care, which can include IVF, egg and sperm freezing and surrogacy and adoption services, became increasingly common over the past few years. Such services can make the cost of having a child more affordable to all kinds of working parents, including those who are single by choice and LGBTQ+ couples looking to adopt or have a surrogate.
In many cases, traditional healthcare coverage may deny fertility benefits to those who don’t meet the clinical definition of infertile. Employer-sponsored fertility benefits however are able to make the process more accessible to everyone.
About a third of employees pursuing fertility treatment incur debt to cover healthcare costs, and 90% of employers said they are concerned about the rising cost of fertility care in Maven’s report.
Companies have realized just how important fertility benefits are as a talent attraction and retention tool today as they grapple with worker disengagement, according to workplace experts. About 70% of employees have taken or considered taking a new job for better reproductive family benefits, according to Maven’s report.
“We think about this beyond the political landscape and I think most employers do as well,” said Will Porteous, chief growth officer at Maven. “Employers think about having this enhanced solution as a way for them to not only attract talent, but retain talent. It’s a way for them to also engender loyalty amongst their employees,” he said.
“Supporting employees with their fertility choices is vital for an inclusive workspace, and can be key in retaining valuable talent in the workforce – which in turn can pay dividends for a business,” said Geeta Nargund, medical director of U.K.-based fertility clinic CREATE Fertility and clinic network abc IVF.
Reproductive health became an important issue that many employers took a stance on following the reversal of Roe vs. Wade in 2022. With a new presidential administration and government officials looking to further restrict access, employees are increasingly looking to their employers for help addressing these healthcare concerns.
Maven’s survey found that nearly half of the employees who are expecting or considering having a child said they are more worried about their reproductive health following the U.S. presidential election. And about the same amount said they want their employers to advocate for continued access to comprehensive reproductive health services.
Tech companies and financial firms initially led the charge in offering fertility benefits, though over the past few years corporate interest in providing support has spread to other industries and across a wider range of employer sizes, stressed MacConnell.
“The more legal and regulatory challenges and uncertainty that exists underscores the importance of employer-sponsored healthcare programs,” she said.