Finding an employer that would help cover the cost of fertility treatments was not an easy task a decade ago. Today, more and more companies are helping their staff build families.
According to a CBS News report, AT&T, financial services firm Ally, IBM, Liberty Mutual, Lyft and TD bank are among the many employers offering some type of fertility service coverage. As employers are still working to hire amid the “Great Resignation,” these offerings could help them hold on to talent.
Jessica Swain – director of communications at AT&T – said the company’s egg freezing benefit was part of the reason she has stayed with the company for years.
“For a single person like me, this benefit is important because it is a huge cost. It would definitely weigh heavily on my decision whether or not to consider working for a company, and it’s a big reason why I have stayed with AT&T,” she said.
Egg-freezing costs could add up to nearly $16,000 without insurance, according to FertilityIQ, a provider of fertility-related education and resources for individuals and companies. One cycle of in vitro fertilization, a series of procedures assisting with conception, can cost between $15,000 and $30,000 without insurance, according to Resolve, the National Infertility Association.
“We are definitely seeing the private sector lead the way in terms of adding fertility and family-building benefits,” said Betsey Campbell, a spokesperson for Resolve. “They are recognizing this is important to their employees, and it helps them with recruitment, retention, and diversity, equity and inclusion objectives. It is a way to be a family-friendly company. You cannot get more family friendly than helping employees build families.”
Employees at AT&T are offered a wide range of fertility options based on their need.
“Our benefits are inclusive when it comes to fertility by offering adoption assistance, egg freezing and more. Whether you're single or LGBTQ, it’s important to have equity in this area so you're not limiting people based on their life circumstances,” said Swain.
Another business focused on helping its employees build families is the ride-share company Lyft.
According to CBS News, Lyft first added fertility treatments to its benefits package in 2017 but would only offer them to couples who had unsuccessfully tried to conceive for 12 months. This year, the company’s benefits include coverage for IVF, egg freezing, surrogacy and adoption.
“Now you don't need that underlying diagnosis of infertility. Our benefit is very inclusive and applies to LGBTQ+ couples and single parents who are growing their families in ways like surrogacy and adoption,” Tanner Brunsdale, a benefits manager for Lyft said.
He said the benefit has helped Lyft stand out compared to other employers.
“In the tech world, [when] trying to attract and retain talent, we know we are in a competitive market and we know this benefit is at the top of the list when people are looking for employers,” Brunsdale explained. “It's highly sought-after and it gives us a competitive advantage.
Candidates ask about it all the time.”
A survey commissioned by Resolve and conducted by Mercer in 2021 found that more than half of 459 employers surveyed offered some type of reproductive benefit. Larger employers with at least 500 employees were more likely to cover fertility services such as egg freezing and in vitro fertilization.
“The market has completely taken off in the last two years,” said FertilityIQ co-founder Jason Anderson-Bialis. “Employers pay us for our educational offerings around fertility, and demand is nonstop right now. It’s definitely a priority.”
Indeed, close to 800 large global firms identified by FertilityIQ last year offered some type of fertility benefit, including some that offered the benefits for the first time. This reflected an 8 percent increase in the share of employers covering fertility services year-over-year.
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