One of the biggest barriers employees face when accessing the care they need to pursue parenthood is cost. A single cycle of IVF can cost as much as $21,600 — an amount that can induce anxiety for both employees and employers alike. Employers are recognizing that fertility benefits can make a difference on their employees' paths to parenthood.
It's not uncommon for employers to feel that a large benefit offering is a must in order to help employees with the high cost of fertility care. However, Carrot’s flexible plans allow organizations to customize their fertility package to meet employee needs without breaking the bank — and even flex with your company as it grows over time. Here’s a few reasons why you should consider adding fertility benefits to your company’s benefit package — no matter what your budget.
Flexible fertility coverage that grows with your company
The beauty of choosing a flexible fertility plan is that you, as an employer, have full autonomy to pick a benefit amount that meets your budget. Not all employers choose to fund their employees’ full cost of care — even offering a support program or a small amount can go a long way in helping your workforce navigate the often-complicated process of building their families.
At Carrot, we offer three different tiers to help companies provide the level of fertility benefits that work with their budget. With Carrot Core, our lowest-priced offering, companies are able to give their employees access to an expert care team, deep discounts at partner clinics, and unlimited use of the Carrot app — comprehensive telehealth support without direct financial coverage for care. Some companies choose to supplement their Core offering by offering a financial benefit — this can start as small as $250. The financial benefit amount doesn’t have to cover an employee’s entire fertility journey — rather, it can help them kickstart their pursuit of parenthood.
If your organization doesn’t have the budget flexibility to contribute to your employees’ costs of fertility care right now, that doesn’t mean that it won’t change down the road. With a flexible fertility plan, companies can scale their offering as they grow. Many companies also find increased cost savings as they scale by customizing their plan structure to account for factors such as employee tenure.
Money back into your employees’ pockets
For companies that aren’t quite ready to cover the complete cost of care, simply helping out with employee costs can go a long way — especially given that most insurance plans don’t often cover fertility care or severely restrict access to it. Carrot has a network of more than 10,000 high-quality providers around the world, offering access to lower pre-negotiated rates and exclusive discounts for members who have to pay for some or all of their care out of pocket.
A few common examples we’ve seen:
- A Carrot member decides to freeze their eggs; they will have to pay up to $500 in annual storage fees every year but by choosing to freeze their eggs at a Carrot partner clinic, they receive their first year free.
- A Carrot member pursues pregnancy through IVF; instead of paying for their FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) prescription through insurance, they order the script directly through Carrot Rx and end up saving up to 60% on the same medication.
- A Carrot member wants to learn about his options for adopting a child internationally; he sets up an initial consultation at a Carrot partner adoption agency and receives a free consultation to kickstart the process.
- A Carrot member chooses to take a fertility assessment to better understand his fertility levels; after receiving his lab results, he schedules a free expert chat with one of Carrot’s on-staff urologists to review his results and prepare his future plan for starting a family.
A benefit that pays for itself
In addition to saving employees money on the direct cost of fertility care, Carrot’s care team educates members on their options and directs them to care with the best outcomes — regardless of whether they’re spending employer-covered dollars or their own.
Better outcomes can mean hundreds of thousands in savings for employees and employers over time. Carrot’s clinically-managed approach helps reduce the need for costly care associated with higher risk pregnancies. For example, by educating members on the science of single embryo transfers (eSET) and requiring all of our partner clinics to adhere to eSET as their default protocol (except in the rare case that is not medically recommended), our program can save a company an average of $84,000 for every singleton vs. twin birth.
Not all parenthood paths have the same cost
Not every member uses their employer’s full available financial benefit, meaning that expert educational and emotional support alone make an impact for employees navigating their chosen path to parenthood. For many intending parents, this means starting their journey with Carrot and choosing options that do not use their full benefit — or sometimes, any of the funds at all.
Because employees are waiting longer to start their families, one of the most common areas where our members turn to Carrot for help is better understanding fertility and what their preservation options look like. Many employees use their financial benefit for initial fertility testing, which can cost as little as $250 dollars with discounts at a Carrot partner clinic. Oftentimes, employees use their benefit for a fertility assessment to tame anxiety and will wait years down the road to further pursue parenthood.
Access is key to employees — even for those whose path does not ultimately end in starting a family. Nearly 90% of women said they were happy they froze their eggs, regardless of whether or not they end up using them.
Employees turn to our care team to ease fertility-related anxiety and better understand their options — often at little to no additional cost to their employer. Unlimited expert chats with our board-certified reproductive endocrinologists, urologists, care navigators, and even emotional well-being experts are included in program costs and can save employees who want to better understand their options for the future the cost and hassle of visiting a clinic.
Employers of all sizes and types are using fertility benefits to support their employees on their paths to parenthood. Although not every path to parenthood comes without bumps in the road, Carrot’s family-forming benefit allows companies to support the journeys of their employees regardless of the cost of care.
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