6 most commonly covered fertility benefits

A competitive job market and a growing trend of more inclusive benefits has led to more employers offering family-friendly perks such as fertility services, paid leave and flexible scheduling, according to research from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. One of the most common reasons for high employee turnover is lack of benefits. Fertility benefits in particular have been a focus of employers looking to help employees become parents. “Employers are evolving their healthcare programs to reflect that fertility benefits are becoming more important to many employees, including same-sex couples,” Jeff Levin-Scherz, a Willis Towers Watson researcher, told EBN earlier this year. “The additional coverage is often a win-win proposition. It allows employers to provide a valued employee benefit while improving their ability to attract and retain top talent and support diversity initiatives.” Nearly one-third (31%) of employers with 500 or more employees offer some sort of fertility benefit, up from 24% in 2016, according to the survey of 677 benefits managers from IFEBP. Smaller employers are less likely to provide fertility benefits, but just like large employers, the numbers are increasing. Of employers with 50 or fewer employees, 10% offer some sort of fertility benefits, up from 4% in 2016. Here are the six most commonly covered fertility treatments, according to IFEBP research. Egg harvesting or freezing services are a less common perk compared to other fertility treatments but the offering is growing in popularity. The expensive benefit is most commonly seen at tech firms, including Apple, Cisco, Facebook, Microsoft and Netflix.