Over the last four decades, many United States multinational corporations have employed global workers. According to Global Goliaths: Multinational Corporations in the 21st Century Economy, about one in five multinational employees lived abroad at the beginning of the 1980s; today, that number is closer to one in three. With this documented increase in international workers, it’s now more important than ever for employers to recognize the global impact of health and wellness issues affecting their employees — namely, infertility.
As the World Health Organization (WHO) reported in 2023, about 17.5% of the adult population — roughly 1 in 6 worldwide — experiences infertility. Not only does this statistic demonstrate an urgent demand for internationally accessible, high-quality fertility care, but it highlights the critical need for employers to prioritize benefits parity to ensure that workers worldwide receive equitable options and support. However, navigating the ever-evolving nuances of international laws and regulations about fertility and family building can be challenging, especially for HR leaders and benefits consultants confronting this information for the first time.
With the complexities of international regulations and cultural distinctions in mind, Carrot has established itself as the leading comprehensive global fertility benefit. Providing extensive resources and ongoing support to buyers and employees, Carrot ensures that members are matched to vetted local experts with cultural, legal, and financial knowledge specific to each member's geography. Read on to discover how Carrot uniquely supports global employees in their fertility and family-building pursuits.
Providing country-specific care
Fertility care isn’t just about covering the expenses of procedures like in vitro fertilization (IVF). While financially supporting employees through these types of intense medical interventions is an essential aspect of comprehensive fertility care, fewer than 3% require advanced reproductive technologies like IVF. To truly provide inclusive and extensive fertility care to workers around the globe, employers must partner with a benefits vendor that understands the myriad options available to address infertility, including fertility testing and tracking, nutritional protocols, surrogacy, and more. Additionally, an ideal benefits vendor has the knowledge and experience of working with individuals and couples worldwide to know how to implement and support these care options in countries with varying legislations and customs.
Rather than apply a one-size-fits-all solution to global fertility care, Carrot is committed to providing highly individualized and differentiated support in the 130-plus countries where services are available. Each country receives a thoughtful and specific level of support based on annual evaluations considering current and future strategies. To achieve parity across countries, Carrot invests in building highly localized support networks with over 10,000 eligible providers, 24/7 expert support, and a 100% Carrot-managed network.
Because fertility and family-building journeys have essential legal, clinical, cultural, and financial implications that vary by region, Carrot offers diverse support services in each location. Keeping this diversity in mind, Carrot thoughtfully builds out a vetted provider network, coverage policies, and expert staff appropriate for each geographic area and employs a hyper-localized approach. In some cases, this might mean ensuring any group sessions involve moderators fluent in local nuances. In other cases, it might mean having a robust team of global experts available to monitor changing international regulations and trends to ensure members receive safe and culturally relevant guidance on their fertility and family-building journeys.
It’s important to know that not all types of assisted reproductive technology (ART), fertility preservation, adoption, or surrogacy are available to all individuals or couples throughout the world. Some countries, for example, have specific age, gender, and marital status requirements to access services like IVF and adoption. To equip members with all the information necessary to proceed on their fertility and family-building journeys, Carrot experts educate members worldwide on their available options.
In some cases where domestic options are not available, Carrot may be able to advise members on how to seek legal cross-border care if available, providing detailed information on the potential challenges involved. While Carrot does not provide legal advice, members have access to a vetted network of local legal experts or attorneys to help them navigate global laws and regulations that impact their fertility, family-building, and hormonal health journeys.
Tips for selecting the right global fertility benefits vendor
When it’s time to start exploring fertility benefit solutions for your global employees, knowing which questions to ask and how to evaluate each candidate’s knowledge and experience in the global fertility care field is essential. Consider the following tips when seeking out your perfect fit:
- Ask each vendor how they ensure compliance with local laws, regulations, and cultural considerations. By learning more about each vendor’s specific process, you’ll discern how they navigate the varying complexities of fertility and family-forming laws worldwide and help prevent unintentional risk to your company and your employees if these standards aren’t met.
- Ensure language support is available in all locations. True inclusivity means offering full language support to members worldwide. To address varying language needs, Carrot offers full support for some languages, including English, Spanish, and French Canadian, and on-demand interpretation of benefits chats for members who communicate in other languages.
- Investigate each vendor’s currency policies. Due to the wide variation of currencies used worldwide, it’s essential to partner with a vendor that understands how to manage these differences and has extensive experience handling exchange rates, currency conversions, and other cost differences.
- Seek out a vendor with a vetted network of inclusive providers. To provide equitable care and support to employees all around the globe, it’s imperative to work with a vendor that optimizes its network for quality and accessibility. Carrot identifies high-quality providers worldwide by evaluating country-specific criteria and continual monitoring. Carrot’s network includes over 3,800 eligible clinics, 3,400 agencies and attorneys, and a thoroughly researched selection of partners across the globe so all members can access the highest quality of care available in their area.
- Inquire about cross-border care navigation. Not all fertility and family-building services are available in all geographic locations, so partnering with a vendor with a deep understanding of cross-border care can help members worldwide pursue their goals. Where it is legal, Carrot offers care navigation for members seeking care outside their home country due to restrictions and can guide the best available options.
If you’re exploring global fertility care options for your company’s international workforce, discover why Carrot remains the leading global fertility benefits provider for modern health plans and employers. Since 2016, Carrot’s global team of world-class healthcare operators, engineers, designers, benefits experts, fertility doctors, nurses, and clinicians has helped members worldwide realize their fertility and family-building goals. Contact an expert today to learn more about how Carrot can support your global employees, contact an expert today.
