Majority of Canadian employers still not offering fertility benefits

TORONTO, Nov. 20, 2023 /CNW/ - A new study of almost 1,000 Canadian employers finds most (53%) do not offer fertility benefits for employees. Fertility benefits are essential because infertility affects approximately 1 in 6 Canadian couples and it comes with a heavy financial burden, leaving treatment out of reach for many. 

Of the employers (47%) that do offer fertility benefits, less than 2% cover both drugs and treatment costs such as IVF procedures, sperm, eggs, and testing. Coverage for both is critical because many provinces do not offer any funding, leaving people to pay for their own health care. The study found the median lifetime coverage limit for fertility drugs is now $6,000. This amount is increasing but is still far below what is typically required to build a family.

"Two years after launching Fertility Benefits Matters, we are seeing steady progress towards more inclusive family-friendly benefits but there's still lots to do," said Tara Wood, benefits advocate and Conceivable Dreams board member "Our team is working to educate insurance carriers, benefit advisors and employers about the realities of family-building in Canada and the positive role each of them can play. A role that will ultimately help employers attract and retain more talent."

Tara notes some of the improvements include: of the employers offering benefits, 22% had no maximums on fertility drugs and other employers have increased their lifetime limits with almost a quarter offering at least $20,000 for fertility drugs.

Funding for both drug and treatment costs is essential because creating a family takes many forms (IVF, adoption, surrogacy, etc), and can be very costly. The average cost for one round of IVF is $20,000 (and typically requires 2-3 rounds for a pregnancy) and surrogacy starts around $60,000. In fact, a recent survey of over 1,000 fertility patients in Ontario, where one round of IVF is publicly funded, found nearly half spent over $20,000 on fertility treatments, and 40% needed financial assistance. 

"Private and public sector collaboration is essential for successful family building in Canada," said Carolynn Dubé, Executive Director, Fertility Matters Canada. "Canada's employers are facing a talent crisis and have an opportunity to differentiate themselves with their values and great benefits in a tough labour market."

Fertility rates have been on a steady decline in Canada for more than a decade and the country's total fertility rate is far below the replacement rate of 2.1 needed to maintain population stability according to Statistics Canada. Only seven of 12 provinces offer some kind of public funding for family creation.

The study conducted by Mapol Inc. and commissioned by Organon Canada, a global healthcare company with a focus on women's health, reviewed the benefits plans of 928 plan sponsors (employers) in Canada, representing approximately 4.1 million private plan members in Canada.

Fertility Benefits Matters is a campaign to improve family building benefits in Canada. Co-led by Conceivable Dreams and Fertility Matters Canada, the goal is to provide tools and support to insurance providers, employers and employees towards more inclusive, family-friendly benefits. www.fertilitybenefits.ca

SOURCE Conceivable Dreams