Family-forming benefits increasingly popular: report
More Canadian employers are offering benefits that are not traditionally offered in most benefits programs, according to a recent report.
Currently, 70 per cent of employers are offering fertility drugs as part of employee benefits, reports Willis Towers Watson (WTW).
And more are looking to add that benefit this year and next year.
There is also a growing number of employers who are now offering or planning to offer fertility treatment, adoption services, surrogacy services and education, coaching and navigation services for family-forming benefits.
Among organizations offering family-forming benefits, none are planning to reduce coverage. Also, potential improvements are planned for fertility drug coverage only – 13% plan to increase the value of benefits for fertility drugs.
These numbers are significantly up from those Canadian HR Reporter reported in 2023.
More employers are also currently offering or planning to offer gender affirmation benefits within this year or next year, according to WTW’s survey of 100 employers.
The number of employers interested in offering this benefit is even more than those interested in offering women’s health and neurodiversity benefits.
Among organizations offering gender affirmation, 80 per cent impose limits on gender affirmation coverage with an average lifetime limit of $22,167.
Obesity is also one issue employers are looking to address with their benefits offerings, according to WTW.
Nearly half (49%) of employers have already implemented obesity medication as part of their offering while almost 20% are planning or considering doing it.
Over 9 in 10 employers say obesity has a major (42%) or moderate (50%) impact on their employees’ health and wellbeing. And just under two-thirds say that obesity medications is a high (23%) or medium (42%) priority for them.
Obesity has emerged as a top five global risk factor expected to Canadian employer medical costs this year, according to a previous Aon report.
Benefits for fertility, gender affirmation
Fertility benefits can be crucial to boosting employee morale, according to foundit, previously known as Monster.
“Assisted reproductive technology (ART) and other alternative methods of family planning can be emotionally draining, expensive, and time-consuming. Many of these processes can contribute to anxiety, depression, burnout, and absenteeism, which are likely to decrease employee productivity and performance.
“By offering these benefits, you can alleviate some of the stress of family planning, which is likely to make your employees more engaged and improve employee morale.”
That’s crucial to employee engagement, they note.
Meanwhile, gender-affirming care in the workplace enables and supports people to make physiological and social changes that are more consistent with their gender identity, notes Manulife.
“It encompasses medical, nonmedical, surgical, and nonsurgical services, mental health care, and social support,” they say.
Elizabeth, a non-profit professional in Ontario using a pseudonym to protect her identity, shares with Manulife that: “Gender affirming care to me has been lifesaving. Having had access to surgery and my hormones literally has brought me a sense of calm and happiness within myself that I never thought I’d be able to access.”
Gender affirmation coverage a win for diversity, according to experts.
Obesity medication for worker health
And offering obesity medications is crucial to keeping workers healthy, according to HUB International.
“With obesity reaching epidemic levels in much of the world, more people are turning to weight-loss drugs in their quest for longevity and wellness. The demand for injectable prescription drugs – known as GLP-1s – is quickly expanding, with as many as 1.4 million Canadians currently using these drugs.
“While Ozempic and Mounjaro are prescribed to treat diabetes and are generally covered under insurance plans, other GLP-1 medications, like Wegovy and Zepbound, are approved for weight-loss only, causing insurers uncertainty about how, or if, to cover them.
These medications have become wildly popular to treat more than just diabetes and obesity, says HUB, and they’re also being used as a preventative medication against heart disease, strokes and other conditions.”
